Destroying the Goddess
by PEANUT v1.2
Summary: Serah and Yeul are dead because of Etro, who isn't the good goddess she appeared to be. Swearing revenge, Caius and Lightning are forced to fight together to destroy her. Something stronger than a simple alliance forms. Lightning/Caius
1. Chapter 1: Evil Goddess

**Author's note: Hello there! If you're reading this, you must have **_**some **_**interest in the story. This is an alternate ending of sorts; like a FFXIII-3. I altered some things from the ending, mainly that Lightning was frozen in crystal. Now she's not, and Etro is alive. The rest is pretty self-explanatory. So I'll leave you to read it. If you like it, review. And if you like my writing itself, check out my other stuff!**

Chapter One: Evil Goddess

"_From Valhalla, I can see everything. Time's expanse is laid before me…All of it."_

Since the day that Lightning arrived in Valhalla, she was able to see everything because of Etro. She was the goddess's chosen warrior, the one who received most of her power. But she wasn't the only one to receive such great power.

"Why?" she said hoarsely, thinking of the other who was blessed—or cursed—with Etro's power.

Her sister Serah.

"You knew what happens to those who receive your eyes, goddess," Lightning said to the empty throne that she stood before in Valhalla. Normally, she would kneel and pray to the goddess, but today was different in many ways. Her tone didn't show unwavering support or humility. It showed sorrow instead, along with the rage that was buried deep beneath her grief.

Right after saving the future, Serah was killed by Etro's curse.

"How **could **you!" the soldier finally shrieked at the throne. Serah was dead. Serah, recruited by Lightning, fought her battle hard so that she could see a bright future. And now she couldn't. Sweet Serah…the sister she loved completely…She was wiped out from the world.

In her fury, Lightning summoned her sword to her empty hand and glared at the throne. "You killed her! You knew all along that she was going to die! What good did these powers even do her? I had everything under control here!"

'_Had it all under control, did you? Then why is your sister dead?' _

"That's not my fault," she said evenly to the disembodied voice. "You kept it hidden from me that she would die. You showed me a lie where she lived. And now…You've restored the timeline so that Serah dies. There's no way to save her."

Silence was Lightning's response.

"I served you faithfully. I saved you from Caius, and this is my thanks?"

'_Yes. Thank you.'_ Lightning grunted at the sarcastic voice, eyes narrowed on the throne. She understood now what happened: Just as she was played by the Fal-Cie on Cocoon, she was played by Etro in Valhalla. She ignored the lessons that she learned on her first journey: never trust a god or goddess. _'Your service is now complete. You are free.'_

"Free to do what?"

'_Free to die.'_

Lightning suddenly felt herself bound by some kind of magic, though no physical restraints made themselves seen. _I can't move…_ she thought as she glared at the throne. All that she could do was remain where she was and wait for Etro to kill her. Would it be quick, or would she suffer? What was Serah's death like? Painful? Heartbroken? _I'll be there to join you soon, Serah. _

Etro started taking back the power that she endowed Lightning with, the golden light of power flowing out of Lightning and to a shadowed figure who was starting to appear on the throne. With this power, Etro could restore herself to a physical form once more and be the powerful goddess that she once was. In the process of restoring herself, she was depleting the life of the one that her power had rested in.

The former guardian grunted weakly, eyes shutting as she felt the power being sucked out of her. The **life **being removed. After a few minutes, it was done.

The curse that bound Lightning to stand still vanished. The soldier crumpled to the ground in a heap as her armor faded to reveal the outfit that she had worn when fighting in the Corps. Not that it really mattered, because she wouldn't be fighting again anytime soon.

She was dead.

*…*…*…*…*…*

_I…hear waves. T_he thought crossed her mind after a long period of time seemed to pass. The fact that she was even thinking, and recognizing the sound of ocean waves, was a comfort. Perhaps she wasn't dead after all. But then again, what did death feel like? Was there a Heaven and Hell? Or was it all just sweet dreams in the place that you loved the most?

Wherever she was, it wasn't the place that she held dearest to her heart. This was not Bodhum, despite the rolling of the waves sounding nearby. She could tell by the cold, hard ground that she was lying face down on. If she was going to see the truth about what was going on, she needed to find the strength to get up.

Slowly, she set her hands on the ground and started to push herself up. Her strength was much less than what she would have liked it to have been. Even getting back onto her knees was hard, both because of weakness and pain. Her eyes flickered over the area, darkening when she realized where she was.

She was no longer in Valhalla, but the Void Beyond.

And she was not alone.

Her head turned sharply to the left, seeing a man sitting on a piece of rubble. "Caius," she said dryly, seeing his gaze on her. A humorless laugh left her lips. "Great. Now I **know **I'm dead." Caius was killed by Noel and Serah; if he was in this place, then it was because he was dead, and she was here for the same reason.

"In one sense of the word, you are," Caius Ballad agreed without moving. "In another, you are not. Just as I am not."

_Caius isn't dead?_ That caught Lightning's attention. "Explain," she ordered. Much to her surprise, he obeyed.

"You and I are the same in many ways," he replied. "We were both Guardians, entrusted with so much power that we were almost deity ourselves. That power was stripped of us, but only partially. A bit of the goddess's power lingers in you just as I retained some of my powers of Chaos."

"So, we're still alive," Lightning figured, glancing down at her knees. Was that good or bad?

"Alive, and trapped in the Void," Caius said. "The timeline has been mended by the goddess so the gates are gone. Things are as they were meant to be."

_What does that even mean? I was meant to be with my family right now. But I'm not. And Serah is supposed to be alive._ "No," she disagreed lowly. "Things aren't what they're supposed to be. It wasn't supposed to turn out like this…"

"You're referring to the reason that you are here?"

Lightning nodded faintly without looking up. "Serah had Etro's eyes."

"I'm aware," he intervened.

"As soon as the future was set right, she had one last vision. It killed her."

Caius was silent.

"Serah didn't need to be cursed with Etro's eyes," Lightning said, voice weak as the sorrow and grief started to set in once again. "From Valhalla, I could direct her. There was no reason for her to have that curse…"

"Etro betrayed you by giving that power to your sister."

Again, she nodded. "And then she took back her power from me and began to restore herself. She meant for me to die completely…Her pawns did what they were meant to do—Getting rid of you." Caius had been a threat to Etro, so Etro recruited Lightning to defeat the threat. And Lightning was foolish enough to drag Serah into the conflict. _My fault…It's my fault that Serah's dead. But Etro is the one that killed her. _"She'll pay. I'll kill her even if it won't bring Serah back."

"You are aware of what happens when Etro dies?"

"Yes. And I don't care anymore." Finally, she looked over at Caius again. "The Fal'Cie on Cocoon wanted the world destroyed so the Maker would be called again. Even if they accomplished their goal in a way when Cocoon fell, life continued on without their rule. Etro must be stopped. Only then can humanity truly be free."

"If they are still alive."

Lightning felt disgusted with Caius's retorts. "Shut up, Caius," she said lowly. "You're the one who wanted Etro to die in the first place. Now it seems like you're trying to talk me out of it."

"I'm not," he said without flinching. "Just making sure that this is not a whimsical decision and you'll actually follow through."

"No need to worry about that." She made her decision. Etro would pay for damning Serah and for betraying her. She would pay for it all.

Cautiously, Lightning started to push herself up off her knees. Again her strength wavered. She stood on her own two feet but set a hand on a pillar beside her to keep her balance. First, she needed to find a way out of this place. Even if she felt the weight of the gunblade hanging from her bag, she knew it wouldn't be of much use to her. One reason was that she was still too weak to use it. Another was that force wouldn't help her escape here.

"I have already searched for an exit," Caius said. "There is no escape."

"So you're just going to stay here and do nothing?" She had thought better of Caius than that.

"Isn't that what your grief is telling you to do?" he questioned in return.

Lightning, instead of answering, walked away to try and find an exit. His question answered hers, yet presented another issue. Her grief _was _telling her to just lay down here and die. She spent her whole life fighting but now it was over. Her grief told her that she didn't have the strength to fight any longer.

Yet she would continue to fight. That was all that she knew how to do.

But what future was there to fight for? Everything was as it was meant to be with the timeline. No matter what she did, Serah wouldn't return. All of her friends should have been alive, though depressed by Serah's death. They were strong; they could continue on with their lives without her help. What point was there in her trying to get back to the real world?

Only one reason in her mind: Revenge.

That was reason enough for her to search the entire area. Unfortunately, her search came up empty. Her feet dragged along the ground as she returned back to the area where Caius was still sitting on a fallen pillar. He didn't bother asking if her search had turned up any results. If it had, she wouldn't have returned.

The soldier sat down on another fallen pillar, across from Caius, who spoke next. "There was a legend in the End of Time," he said randomly. "That if one's desire is strong enough, a portal will appear to take that person closer to their desire."

"Well apparently my desire isn't good enough," Lightning said dryly. "I'm still here."

"I have faced the same dilemma."

"What's your desire, Caius?" she asked boldly.

"The same as yours, now," he responded. "I want to kill the goddess who prevented me from saving Yeul."

Lightning hummed her response. She should have known that it was something like that. Everything Caius did was for Yeul, after all. And now that she was beyond saving, he would take out his grief on Etro.

The two of them were alike in more ways than they could see.

"Get over your grief and stop letting it bind your heart," Lightning said strictly to him. "Only then can your heart be strong enough to create a portal."

"You're one to talk," he retorted.

"Shut up."

"You're the one who has the audacity to order me around."

"I order everyone around. You're no god, so I can order you around all day if I want to."

Caius's eyes narrowed at the mention of the gods. She struck a nerve.

"And you're no goddess," he said coldly. "So forgive me if I refuse to let you order me around."

"Fine."

"Fine."

This petty argument was not something that two hardened warriors should have been having. They should have been able to find it within them to cooperate towards their common goal, which was to escape from this place. But the only thing they hated more than their predicament was each other.

"You know what my greatest desire is, Ballad," Lightning fumed. "It's to get as far away from you as possible."

That did the trick. To her right, a bright orange light surrounded by dark teems appeared. A Spacetime Anomaly. Not exactly a gate that would take her anywhere she pleased, but it was a heck of a lot better than staying here with the man who mercilessly hunted Serah and Noel for his own goal.

"Well, that's convenient," Caius said as he rose to his feet.

"Hold on there," Lightning said quickly, getting to her feet as well. She glared at Caius, seeing him also glare back into her eyes. "I was the one who was able to summon this. I'm going through it."

"So am I. You expect me to wait here for my death, Lightning?"

"I expect you to let your grief swallow you like you expected my grief to do to me," she said lowly.

Still, her words hardly seemed to have an impact on him. "Sorry to disappoint you, then," he said as he started towards the portal.

Seeing that she had no choice but to allow him to continue, she reached her own decision: they would just have to share the portal. She walked forward a few quick steps so that she was right beside her fated rival. Refusing to gaze over at him, she walked through the portal with him and vanished into the Historia Crux.

*…*…*…*…*…*

The Historia Crux remained the same as the last time Lightning floated along in its depths. The circles of time surrounded her as weightlessness carried her down the time stream. Her, and Caius, who was along for the ride. Neither of them spoke to each other as they looked for any remaining gate that would take them to reality.

It seemed to take a while, but there was finally something coming up ahead of them and to their right. Caius saw it first and shifted his course towards it. Lightning tisked in disgust but did the same. Wherever they landed, she would be able to ditch him there. _Ditch him? What am I thinking? _She thought to herself. _ Caius needs to die. He's still a threat. _

Not saying anything aloud, the two of them floated through the pass and entered the new world. She expected to be floating just a foot off the ground, but she wasn't.

She was hundreds of feet in the air, falling towards the city of Academia in the year 500 AF.

A grunt left her lips as she freefell, her worries about Caius leaving her mind as she was more concerned with herself.

"Odin!" she automatically called, hand reaching for the Eidolon that always appeared at her beckoning.

Today, Odin decided not to come. He was a servant of the goddess, not Lightning. Swearing under her breath, she knew she had to depend on herself from now on. She shifted her body so she could land easier, aiming towards a closer roof. Roughly, she rolled forward off the edge of that building towards a lower courtyard. She rolled forward once on that level as well and then managed to stop herself, glad that she had proper training on how to handle far jumps and their landings.

Unfortunately, Caius must have had similar training, because he managed to land unscathed a few yards away from her. Her attention couldn't be focused on him, however. This was not the 500 AF that she had seen from Valhalla.

They sky was dark as wind swept through the area, shifting her pink hair in and out of her eyes. She had been wrong in what she thought before: all was not right in the world.

"Valhalla's Chaos has been released," she gasped, slowly rising to her feet. When did this happen? How did it happen? This was only meant to occur when Etro perished!

Caius's silence triggered Lightning's next response. "You did this!" she cried. Caius destroyed her home world, somehow. Her blade was out of her bag within seconds to attack. She closed the distance between her and Caius quickly, but he was ready with his own large blade.

"Yes, I did have a hand in this," Caius growled as he shoved Lightning away. Still she returned to swing at him again, and again. The grief of losing her sister along with her world was proving to be too much for her; she was swinging almost aimlessly. Or maybe it wasn't all grief; she also was still weak from the goddess taking her power back.

"Couldn't die without damning the whole world along with you, could you?" she spat in fury, ducking as Caius's blade swung over her head. He backed away before her sword could pierce his belly.

"Who knew you understood my intentions so well?" he mocked sarcastically.

"**Caius**!" she roared. She bent down lower to the ground and swung her blade at his chest. He caught the tip in his fist, just as he had in Valhalla. Only this time, she couldn't tug it out of his firm grasp. He tugged at the blade and pulled her closer as he swung his mighty blade at her and forced her to lose her grip on the gunblade in the process.

A cry of pain left Lightning's lips when she was whacked to the side, rolling to a stop on her non-wounded side a few feet away. "It seems as if I have retained more power than you have, Lightning," Caius said as he tossed Lightning's blade into the air. It stabbed the ground beside him as he approached her. "You've lost again. This time, your life will be mine!"

He swung to kill her as she lifted her arm weakly in protest. Even in grief and despair, she didn't accept that she had to face death.

For the second time that day, death was avoided. Bullets rained in from behind Lightning, knocking Caius back away from the wounded Lightning. He stumbled a few steps back as his sword was directly in front of him to block the spraying of bullets. But he couldn't block the man who ran past Lightning and punched him square in the face.

That figure was one that Lightning recognized immediately. Snow.

"Can't have you dying on us now, kid," Sazh said as he stepped over to be on Lightning's left side. His guns remained pointed at Caius, though Snow seemed to have the situation under control by himself.

Hope came up on the other side of Lightning, bending down as he gently grasped her arm and wrapped it around his shoulders. "You alright?" he asked as he gently helped her to her feet.

"Alive," she said simply, looking up at Hope as she allowed herself to lean into him. This was her first time meeting the twenty-four year old in person. He grew up well since the time that she vanished. He was taller than she was and more matured. Surely a hit with the girls, not that she had time to focus on that right now.

"And so is he," a new voice said. Noel ran up to the scene, stopping between Lightning and Sazh as he glared at Caius. "What's **he **doing here?"

Lightning shrugged. "We were both in the Void Beyond. An exit appeared and both of us took it."

In front of the four of them, Snow stood before a kneeling Caius with his fists tight. The fight was clearly over, not that there had been much of a fight in the first place. "Enough," Caius growled lowly. "Or do you want to kill me now without answers?"

"Snow," Noel said to Serah's former fiancé. "Let him live."

Snow, though he obviously didn't want to back away, did as Noel said as the latter approached his fallen friend. "What is it, Caius? What're you still doing here?"

"I was nearly a god. A part of that power dwelled within me and kept me alive after our fight. That is the same reason Lightning is alive."

All eyes turned to the soldier.

"I'm confused," Sazh said sheepishly.

"I remained in Valhalla after everything," Lightning started lowly. "As soon as I found out Serah-" She didn't finish the sentence; that would be admitting that Serah was dead. "As soon as I saw the future wasn't what it was meant to be, I confronted Etro. She restored herself to power and took back the power that was within me. I only survived because a bit of that power lingered."

"Etro's not dead?" Noel asked in shock. "But…her heart was inside Caius. My blade stabbed it. And the world was supposed to turn out like this when she died."

"That is what the legends say."

Everyone turned to look at Caius again, the man slowly rising to his feet as his weapon remained stabbed into the ground before him. "The legends say that once the goddess is killed, the chaos of Valhalla will spread to this world. But those legends were fabricated by Etro to preserve her life—so she would have fools like you protecting her without knowing the truth."

"What truth?" Snow spat in anger.

"The truth is that the goddess is not who she appeared to be. Not even I know the full truth of it. But know this: the moment Etro rose to power again was the moment that this realm started being flooded with Chaos."

"But it's not a complete transformation," Hope observed. "Time still exists."

"Yes," Caius agreed simply. "The way that time will truly be destroyed is when there are so many deaths that the souls pass through Etro's gate. That is when the rest of the Chaos will be flooding into this world. Etro has used one path she knows of to get the Chaos here already, but the mass deaths is the only way that she can truly conquer this realm."

"She'll probably try to sink the new Cocoon," Sazh realized. "We need to protect it somehow!"

"And we need to defeat Etro in Valhalla," Lightning said lowly.

"But, sis, the gates are all gone…"

Snow's nickname made Lightning sad, because it reminded her of Serah. "I don't care. I'll find a way to get to Valhalla and end her."

"How'd you manage to get here?" Hope asked.

"Caius filled me in on a legend. If your heart's desire is strong enough, it can create a portal to help you get closer to your goal."

"That makes sense," said Noel. "That's how I got to Valhalla in the first place."

"Alright," Snow said, sounding optimistic for the first time since Lightning's arrival. "Who's going to fight in Valhalla and who's staying here?"

"You of all people should understand that is a worthless question," Caius inserted calmly, voice low as ever. That remark made him receive multiple glares, including that of Lightning. What hadn't he told them? "Only certain people can use gates and rifts: those who are blessed by the goddess. Or were in the past. There are two of us here who were blessed by Etro." His eyes landed on Lightning. Recognition set in quickly for her, but it was Noel who verbalized it first.

"So only Lightning can fight Etro? No way!"

"Lightning **and **myself," Caius said. "The rest of you are trapped in this era."

"As if I'd let you tag along," Lightning spat viciously.

"You have little choice in the matter. You'll need a blade by your side."

"Why are you doing this, Caius?" asked Noel. "What is it you really want?"

That was a very valid question, one that Lightning had been wondering about for a long time. Caius was giving up his information willingly. Was he lying about it? Was there something that he still had to gain from all of this? If he did, then he definitely couldn't be travelling along with Lightning. It would be far too dangerous.

Then Caius began to tell his tale of woe.


	2. Chapter 2: Grief

Chapter Two: Grief

"I always wanted to be the Guardian of the Seeress," Caius began. "So I had no difficulty finding the will to kill the person who had that task so that I could inherit it. I killed him and began to protect Yeul when she was only ten years old. The year was 600 AF. I was still so young. But no danger came close to hurting her. Not while I faithfully stood guard over her.

"Throughout the next five years, I saw her have several visions of the future. Each time she did, the time of recovery would take longer. I asked of her why she was plagued with this. It was then she explained: the visions would eventually kill her and another Seeress would rise to take her place. She was expendable. At the age of fifteen, my first Yeul passed. I was devastated. Another Yeul appeared soon enough. She was just an infant when I started guarding over her. She only lasted till she was twelve. The next Yeul lived until she was thirteen.

"Though I knew the fate of all Yeuls by then, my heart still longed to protect her. To put an end to her suffering somehow. The goddess Etro saw my heart's desire and granted it, in a twisted way. I was cursed with immortality and the power to travel across times. I became the Guardian of **all **Yeuls, not just the ones that lived in my natural lifetime. I was also grated the youthful body that I had when I started being a Guardian at the age of twenty-five."

Caius shifted his heavy gaze to the ground, the air of Academia silent around him and the whole group as he continued to speak with some sorrow and anger in his voice. "I travelled the timeline to be with different Yeuls, to try and find a way to save them. I became especially attached to the Yeul who lived at the end of days. By then I had my answer on how to save her: time needed to be destroyed. And, along with time, the heart of Etro needed to be released from my body. I found somebody who could do it."

"Me," Noel said in recognition.

Caius nodded faintly but continued onward. "Noel, the last one born, had the ability to save Yeul and do away with me. But he refused to. And so I left to go to Valhalla to get the task done myself. Whether I found the remaining force of the goddess and killed her or I was killed myself, Yeul would be free from her torment. But things did not go as planned in Valhalla. I returned to this realm and travelled with many Yeuls while attempting to destroy the future so that no visions could kill her. The opposition was too strong for me to reach that goal."

"You can't destroy time for the sake of one person, Caius," Snow inserted.

"She's not just one person," Caius said, irritated at Snow's lack of understanding. "Each Yeul was unique. Her own person."

"Still…None of the Yeuls wanted a world of destruction. You have to know that," Noel said more gently.

"Don't patronize me, Noel. I knew what Yeul wanted. What mattered more than anything else was her being alive."

"Not to her."

"No matter," he continued. "The opposition was too strong so I led Noel and Serah to Valhalla. If they stabbed the heart within me, it would free Etro's heart and help her regain her power. She's an evil goddess. She always has been."

"But she freed us from our crystal stasis," Hope said in confusion. "That was benevolent."

"Yes, and she also 'blessed' me with eternal life," Caius said sarcastically. "And she 'blessed' you with protecting a world that she planned on destroying. She has a cruel sense of humor, Etro."

"Caius is right."

Everyone looked over at the speaker in shock. "Lightning?"

"Etro 'blessed' Serah with her eyes," Lightning said bitterly without looking up from the ground. "She killed her…" Her eyes grew moist, though she didn't let her tears fall. She wouldn't with all these people around. The grieving process would wait until later, even if the people around her were in tune with her despair. Hope, who still was supporting her as she stood, held her a tad closer to his side as her arm was around his shoulders and his around her back.

"Light…"

"Let me guess, Caius," Lightning continued as she looked up to Caius. "You want revenge against Etro for Yeul's sake."

"Correct. Yeul was permanently taken out of the timeline when things were set 'right'. And like your Serah, there is no way to bring her back. Etro shall pay for taking away the one that I cared for."

"And you'll stop at nothing until you get to her."

"Correct again, Lightning."

Nobody said anything for a few moments after that. Clearly all of them were thinking. Caius was going to find his way to the evil goddess and kill her whether he had assistance or not. Or, whether they were all against him or not. They all knew that his dedication to Yeul was unwavering even in death. Nothing could get in his way or stop him from reaching his goal.

"…Light?" Hope asked. "What're you thinking?"

"For now, we have the same goal," she responded lowly as she kept her gaze on Caius. "I need an extra blade by my side, so it looks like we'll have to go together."

"Lightning, no!" Snow protested loudly. "Aren't you forgetting all that he's done?"

"How could I possibly forget!" Lightning practically shouted. Her temper took advantage of her for just a moment and terrified those around her. It terrified her as well, how strong her emotions were. But she couldn't back down now. She knew Caius tried to kill Serah in the past. She knew he tried to kill her and Noel as well. She just didn't care anymore. "This is the only way, Snow. The only way."

Everyone was wisely silent after that. Either they were too scared to cross Lightning or they recognized that she was about to leave on an extremely dangerous mission with the man who nearly killed her sister on multiple occasions. She was so angry about it herself, yet she had to push her anger aside. Killing Etro—getting revenge—would come first. Her emotions were too strong to face right now, so she'd put them on hold. It was running away, but she didn't care.

"…Stay here for a day or two to rest up first, okay, Light?" Hope requested. "You don't look good."

"Right," she agreed softly, looking down at the wound that Caius inflicted when they first arrived in this world. She'd grab a potion to heal that up and then rest, like Hope suggested. Time wasn't on their side but it didn't matter. Whether she would admit it or not, she needed a day or two with the family that she had left.

"Well alright then," Sazh said, motioning to Caius with his guns. "I trust that you'll play nice while you're here?"

"Yes."

That was all that needed to be said on the matter. Sazh put his guns back in their holsters and Snow took a few steps away. It was then that Caius had enough room to put his hefty sword onto his back again and regain all the composure that he lost from the sudden ambush of Lightning's friends. It wasn't like he lost his composure much anyway; he was as stoic as ever. On guard. It made sense, though; he turned the whole world against him since he tried to kill them all. Regardless, they all turned their backs to him and started towards the main building of Academia. If Caius said he would play nice, then he would. They believed that his goal was true even if he led them astray in the past. He didn't joke around when he came to Yeul.

No more words were spoken by any of them; there was nothing left to say. They were going to split paths again. A long time ago, Lightning learned on how to depend on these people before her. And now she was going on without them. It was back to independence again. No opening up, no friendship. She was going back to the hard soldier that she had been at the start of everything.

And it scared her how quickly she jumped back to that state.

They entered the building and took a door to the right, which led to a hall with multiple bedrooms, a kitchen, and bathrooms. Hope's suite, where he lived. And this was where everyone else now lived as well. "How long has it been since you returned?" Lightning eventually asked Noel as she entered one of the bedrooms and sat down on the bed. Hope slipped past Noel to go get a potion for her.

"Ten days," Noel declared with a nod. "It wasn't even ten minutes before…"

"Before the Chaos appeared," Lightning interrupted. She didn't want to hear what Noel had been about to say.

Thankfully, he caught onto that and nodded, though his expression was pained at the thought of Serah. "Yeah. Things have been in this state since then. Always dark outside, and Valhalla can be seen at a distance. Nobody's gone to check it out but Hope's studies show that Valhalla isn't actually in this realm yet. It's just a shadow of it."

"That's good," Lightning said. Hope reentered the room then and handed her a potion, which she drank without delay. Her nod to him should have been thanks enough. Hope knew how she was, after all. He knew that she wasn't the most talkative person in the world. Especially not now.

Silence fell over the room. The bedroom was a comfortable fit for three of them, so it was only them in the room. Snow, Sazh, and Dajh must have been in the kitchen making dinner. Or so she assumed. Was Snow eating these days? He looked smaller than he had before. He wasn't wearing his engagement necklace either. That was something that she would need to question him on later. He couldn't be out of love with Serah now that she was gone. She refused to believe that was even possible.

"Noel?" Hope said.

"Got it."

Though Lightning didn't understand that simple interaction, Noel and Hope had an understanding. Noel left the room to give Hope and Lightning the privacy that Hope had requested in that one word. He remained leaning against the wall in his Academy uniform, his soft eyes on the young woman who sat on the bed. "It's good to see that you made it out alive, Light," he said softly after a few moments.

"Yeah," she said quietly. That was the only response that she could come up with to that. But instead of leaving Hope hanging, she spoke of something else. "You've grown up well."

"Yeah, well," Hope started with a small smile, lifting a hand to his silver hair. "I met some people when I was fourteen who had a big influence on me. Someone tried showing me what path to take even when she wasn't sure what path was right. I'll never forget how she stayed by my side so I wasn't alone."

For the first time in a very long time, a faint smile tugged at Lightning's lips. "Well," she started softly. "You influenced me too. What you said made more sense than my own thoughts a lot of the time."

"Wish we could go on this journey together…There's a lot more to learn from each other," Hope commented as his smile turned sad.

Light's did the exact same as she nodded faintly. "Maybe when it's over, we can keep giving each other life-lessons," she said while being half-serious.

"One thing at a time, Light," Hope said. Those were nearly the same words that Lightning had said to Serah that last time that she saw her. _If only I had given her a hug like I had wanted to. _She lost the remainder of her family without even a proper farewell. It broke her heart to realize that Serah was truly gone, and she was at fault. But Etro was more at fault than she was. She'd pay that price.

As if sensing Lightning's thoughts, Hope spoke up again. "Would you like to see Serah?" he asked gently.

Though she wasn't sure what she would see, Lightning nodded faintly in silence. Hope pushed himself up off the wall and offered her a hand as he helped her to her feet. She was hardly an open book, but Hope was like her in a lot of ways. He was lost by grief in the past and she was lost by grief in the present. If there was anyone who understood how she felt, it was him.

Though they passed by the others on their way out, nobody followed them. Hope simply told them that they'd be back later. Most likely, they already knew where the two were setting off towards. They were the ones who truly knew Lightning and her love for her younger sister. They understood her need to grieve and gave her space…They were the best friends that she could have hoped for. They deserved life, not death. Joy, not sorrow. Yet sorrow was what they all faced now that Etro was trying to be the goddess of their realm.

There was a small garden that was hidden behind the large building. Hope even had to unlock the door with a special access code to be able to go out into that area. That showed even more that this was a sacred place that only a few could visit. It was a small area but had a few trees and flowers around to make it look lush. Under one of the trees, the ground wasn't grass; it was still dirt. It had been dug up and then covered again.

That was where Serah laid under a blanket of dirt.

The soldier walked forward a few steps, kneeling down by the end of the dirt. They must have given Serah a proper funeral, just the few of them that were around. Despite the chaos that the world was in, they took the time to give her this honor. "Thank you, Hope," Lightning said quietly as she gazed at the dirt in front of her. _Thank you so much._

Hope hummed a simple response, standing at the other end of the area to give Lightning room. Though he wished he could leave her alone to grieve, he was afraid that if he took his eyes off her, she would disappear. He had to keep her safe while she was here. So he stood nearby as Lightning lowered her head and spoke her silent words of farewell to her sister.

_I'm so sorry I brought you into this, Serah, _she thought. _This should have never been your burden to bear. After all that, you died seeing a horrible future…But all your work wasn't for nothing. I won't allow it to remain this way. I'll fight for all of our friends. I'll fight for Snow, and Noel, Hope, Sazh and Dajh. Somehow I'll set this right. _

Her mind started to stray. What if forgiveness wasn't an option now? What if she didn't deserve forgiveness for what she did? Knowing Serah, she'd forgive her anyway. Serah was too kindhearted for her own good. She was the best person that Lightning knew. The world was certainly a worse place now that she was gone from it.

When Lightning no longer felt like sitting in front of Serah's grave, she rose to her feet. It wasn't a surprise to her that Hope was leaning against the building like he had been since they arrived. He hadn't left her alone for even a second. Just his silent presence was hugely comforting to Lightning. She nodded faintly and started walking towards him, showing that she was done grieving for now and she was ready to return to the suite.

Hope cut her off at the door. He stepped right in front of it and opened his arms. Before she could stop herself, she walked right into his embrace. Though her arms didn't wrap around him right away, that didn't stop him from holding onto her. This was like a time when he was fourteen; she had been so worried over him that she suddenly hugged him and he was too shocked to return it. "I know you're not really one for hugs," Hope finally said softly. "But this is one that needed to occur."

"For more reasons than one, right?" Lightning asked quietly as she caught onto his drift.

"I needed to know that you're really here with us," he responded in the same tone. "That we didn't lose the both of you…I've lost too many people, Light. I don't need you being added to the list."

"I can't guarantee what the outcome of all this will be, Hope…"

"I know. And I know that you don't necessarily want to live right now. When all you see is despair, it's easy to lose the will to live…"

_You got that right,_ Light thought silently.

After a few moments, Hope picked up his former train of thought. "…I know right now hate and revenge will drive you. But remember to come back to us once that path doesn't work out anymore, alright?"

"Alright," she agreed quietly. She'd try her hardest, for Hope's sake. At that moment, she wrapped her arms around the young man that she thought of as a brother and allowed him to take care of her for a brief time.

They didn't linger outside too much longer. There was no need to. And besides, it was time for them to return to the others. In times like these, it wasn't good to be apart from the people that you loved. You never knew when they were going to be taken away from you. Although in her case, they all knew that she was going to leave them soon to go on her mission. Whether she came back to them alive, dead, or not at all was debatable. As Hope said, Lightning wasn't sure which she wanted.

The two of them reentered the suite and were not surprised when the others were still there. In the kitchen, everyone was already seated around the dinner with food before them. "Eat up, Light," Snow said, motioning to one of the plates. She grunted her response and sat down, though she didn't immediately begin eating. Instead, she played with her food. Everyone else pretended not to notice and ate their own food.

"So, what's the plan?" Sazh asked partway through the meal.

"You mean to fight Etro in this realm?" Hope inquired in return. "I don't know. We need to prevent her from killing a mass load of people. The most vulnerable point is the new Cocoon."

"So maybe we should evacuate," Snow suggested. "Spread people out all over Gran Pulse so that the goddess doesn't have one place where she can strike."

"That opens up the possibility for natural disasters and animal attacks though," Hope said as he shook his head. "We don't have the military to protect all the people, even now."

"It seems wiser to just hold down the fort in Bhunivelze," Noel input. "That way, our forces are strongest and Etro will have to work harder to bring us down. Who knows, maybe she'd need to come to this realm herself and make herself vulnerable."

"That's possible," Snow agreed. "Caius, what do you think?"

Everyone seemed shocked that Snow would even regard the person sitting at the far end of the rectangular table. "You truly want my input?" he asked after a moment. When Snow nodded, he spoke again. "The goddess will try to find a way to achieve her plans no matter what you prepare for. So you should choose setups where you are flexible to change if you must."

"Light? What do you think?" Sazh asked the former soldier.

"Sounds like the best course of action to me," she agreed after a moment. And it was. She was in the army before and a good strategist, so she knew a bad plan when she heard it. This wasn't bad. Etro wasn't an enemy that they could predict well. She most certainly had the upper hand in this war. Until they had a sure-fire way to defeat her, taking Caius's course of action was best.

"Alright," Hope said. "We should keep everyone in Bhunivelze, then. Having everyone spread out will make it harder to change our actions if we need to."

A murmur of agreement came from everyone at the table. They all continued with their meal, whether it was picking at their food or actually eating it. By this point, Lightning actually did begin eating even if she had no appetite. If she was leaving within the next day, she needed to be in good physical shape.

"We'll talk more about our plans tomorrow," Hope declared after a few minutes. "It's been an exhausting day for everyone." Nobody elaborated on that and Lightning didn't bother asking. She assumed that all the days were exhausting.

"Right you are," Sazh agreed as he stood up from his seat. "I gotta get the kid to bed. Goodnight kids." Dajh, who had been eating his meal quietly beside his father, got up and left the room along with him. It wasn't natural for Dajh to be so quiet. Sazh had told them all what a talkative, sweet boy he was in the past. But things were too serious for that and even that child realized it. What a sad reality this was.

"I'm off too," Snow said. He rose to his feet and gave Lightning a look. "Don't go running off in the middle of the night, hear me? You need rest."

"I hear you," Lightning mumbled.

Snow left the room and Hope followed his lead. Only Lightning, Noel, and Caius remained. This must have been weird for Caius, being with people who he challenged in the past and eating their food. At least he had Noel, if that was any consolation. He betrayed Noel as well; that couldn't be forgotten very easily.

"Lightning," Caius said after a few minutes of silence. "When will we depart?"

"We'll worry about that tomorrow," she declared. She was too exhausted to think about it. Caius didn't bother protesting. That, or he didn't have the chance to protest.

Lightning rose out of her seat and walked down the hall to the bedroom that Hope had directed her towards earlier, seeing that she had it to herself. That was both good and bad. Good because it meant she could let her guard down for a moment. Bad for the same reason. If she took off the mask now, she wasn't sure that she could wear it the same way again. She couldn't unleash her grief and then bottle it up again. Instead, she'd keep it contained. That way it was always under her control.

After about an hour of tossing and turning on the bed, she finally fell into a fitful slumber.

*…*…*…*…*…*…*

**Well hello there readers! I was seriously shocked with how many reviews and subscriptions I got in the past week to this story. I was only expecting half the response I got! So, thank you guys for making me feel special. Just some quick notes for all of you then I'll get into the personal stuff. **

**I promise to continue the story. ;) I won't leave you guys hanging and I won't stop till it's done. I plan to update every week or two depending on how fast I can write the chapters. At this rate, it'll be about a week between chapters. **

**Reviews mean a lot to me, so PLEASE review. As I often say on my other stories, I give you guys chapters that are thousands of words long; the least you can do is give me a review. ):**

**If you like my writing style, check out my other stuff! I've written stuff about Final Fantasies, Kingdom Hearts, Chuck, etc. **

**Okay, onto the personal stuff. **

**Bluefairy10- Thanks! Be sure to tell your sister thanks from me; it's always nice to hear people are excited enough about my stories to recruit fans!**

**Oh…I thought I had more personal stuff that I needed to respond to. Ah well. (: If you're still reading this, you must be bored.**

**Peanut, signing out. **


	3. Chapter 3: Friendships

Chapter Three: Friendships

The first night in Academia, Lightning didn't sleep well. She was in too deep a sleep to realize that she was tossing and turning all night in her bed. The emotional toll of everything was getting to her when she let down her guard at night. Fortunately she was alright the next day, only tired. The others studied her intently at breakfast and told her to stay at least one more night before she left on her question. She didn't respond at the time, but her silence was basically her agreeing. She wasn't ready to leave just yet.

Caius, however, was more than ready. He cornered her in her bedroom after breakfast. "What are you waiting for?" he demanded of her once he closed the bedroom door behind him. It was an attempt to make her feel more trapped, but Lightning wasn't one to get threatened easily.

"Waiting for the opportune moment," she responded simply. "Problem? Or do you already have a plan in motion that you need to get to?"

"You **would **be the one intelligent enough to think of that possibility," Caius said with an impressed smile. "Yes, I did have a plan. If Yeul were still alive, I was going to attack Bhunivelze so that the chaos could completely end this world. I was acting in accord to the goddess's true will, after all. But apparently she no longer saw me as necessary, so she took away Yeul. Yeul was my only reason for serving her. And now that Yeul is gone, I want revenge for her taking her away. Revenge is my plan now and I do not lightly put it on hold. Especially not so that your friends can cradle you."

Lightning grunted, eyes narrowing. Her friends were not _cradling _her. They were just being supportive. Sort of. "Jealous that you don't have friends who can do the same for you, Ballad?" she managed after a moment.

"Jealous?" he asked with a chuckle. "Never. I only have one desire: to avenge Yeul. What's your goal, Lightning? Is it to wallow in self-pity or avenge your sister?"

"Shut up," she said lowly. Her goal most certainly was NOT to wallow in self-pity. She wasn't doing that at all. "Your antagonizing won't get me to leave sooner than I'm ready. My goal is to get revenge. I'll only have a shot at accomplishing that goal if I'm prepared for it."

"What happened to the physical strength you had before, warrior goddess?" he mocked. "The ability to fight even when you were running on nothing…Apparently the death of your sister isn't enough to fuel that fire. Pathetic."

"**Enough**!" she roared. The house may as well have shaken with how loud she boomed that one word. Caius took things too far by mocking her with Serah's death. He could antagonize her all that he wanted just as long as Serah wasn't brought into it. Was he really selfish enough to use her as a tool to get Lightning worked up? Apparently so.

A voice sounded from the other side of the door. "What's going on in there?"

Neither Lightning or Caius responded. She stepped forward so that she was right in front of him, not intimidated by his size or height. "You say what you want about me," she said lowly. "But don't you dare bring Serah into this. She was the best person in the world. Kind, brave, and loving. The world is a much bleaker place without her in it. Give some respect to her and leave. her. alone."

"Lightning? Do I need to break down the door?" the voice outside asked.

Caius's intense purple eyes stayed locked on Lightning's angered blues. Not many people dared to cross her in the first place, but Caius should have known that he shouldn't have said what he did. He remained silent for a few moments after that as he glared at Lightning. "Tomorrow," he said lowly. "We leave tomorrow."

Caius Ballad turned around and opened the door, which Noel was standing right outside of. He walked right past his old friend and gave Noel and open view of Lightning seething in anger. "What was that all about?" Noel asked.

"Tell your friend to have some decency. And that if he ever talks to me like that again, he's as good as dead."

"O-okay…" Noel responded. He was clearly confused about those messages, but he also seemed a bit scared by Lightning. He wisely left the area to give her some privacy. Anger wasn't something that she wanted to experience right now, though, so she took in a soft breath and forced herself to calm down. If she let any emotion get out of control right now, there was no telling what would happen. She needed to do what she always did: focus on what needed to be accomplished and ignore her emotions. It wasn't like they mattered.

After a few minutes, she felt apathetic again. A part of her hated for that, but she pushed that aside as well and went to the living room. All but Noel and Caius were sitting around on the couches.

"Light," Snow greeted with a nod. "Just in time."

"What's up?" she asked. She walked over and sat on one of the chairs, looking around to the others. They all looked serious enough.

"Just decided on the final game plan," Sazh explained. "We have an idea for combating Etro."

"We need to expand our military," Hope said. "Everyone's scared stiff with the sky being like it is now. So, we think that if we give sophisticated weaponry to the regular people and give them basic training, they'd be willing to fight in this war."

"So where's the weaponry coming from? You have the resources for that?"

"Nope. That's where you come in, Light," he continued. "Because I jumped through the future, I'm not familiar with all the weaponry of the past hundred years. The weaponry that I'm most familiar with is this era's—500 AF, and 400 AF in Academia. If we get our hands on a load of those weapons and you bring them back to the future, we can even develop them a little further so that they're more like today's weapons."

"Either way, it'll be better than nothing," Snow added.

"Okay," Lightning said with a small nod. If they were certain that this was right, then she would take this path to get them more weaponry. "I'll make it happen."

"When are you planning on leaving?"

"Tomorrow." She rose to her feet as she spoke. "Until then, I'm going to go for a walk around Academia. I want to get familiar with it in this time so I can navigate more quickly in 400 AF."

"Good thinking," Hope said with a nod of his own. "But…You probably shouldn't go alone…"

"I'll be fine."

"No, Hope is right. I'll go with you," Snow said as he too pushed himself up. "Can't have anything happening to you before you even leave."

Despite the fact that Snow was only referring to her safety, she got the sense that safety wasn't the only reason that he wanted to tag along with her. For that reason, she decided not to protest any further. "Fine," she said simply. She jerked her head towards the exit and started out of the room, trusting that Snow wouldn't be too far behind. She had a bad feeling about this; he was going to try and bring up Serah, wasn't he? He was grieving too; he probably wanted to talk to somebody who held Serah in as high esteem as he did.

The two of them entered the city within a few minutes of walking. There weren't people around; everyone seemed to have taken to locking themselves within their homes. Fear was in the air along with the dark fog that made seeing the far distance difficult. What a terrifying reality to live in. At least there weren't monsters in the city. Not yet, at least. Valhalla's looming shadow was at a distance, not immediately threatening the safety of the world. But soon—very soon, that would change. Etro would try to conquer this world along with her own and eliminate life and death.

Lightning couldn't allow that to happen.

The eerie silence lingered in the air as they walked. At the same time as Lightning, Snow realized something. "You're not really out here to survey, are you?"

"No," she said before she could stop herself. "I guess I'm not." She just needed to get out of the house for a while…and away from Caius. He really pushed her buttons earlier with all his talk about Serah. That wasn't a topic she would bring up with Snow, though. He had enough on his plate. "And you're not really here to keep me safe, are you?"

"No, that's not the whole reason," he agreed. "Just wanted to be with you."

"Because of Serah," Lightning said instantly, surprising herself because she never would have believed that she would bring up the topic so eagerly. She didn't want to talk about it, but if Snow did…Well, listening was the least that she could do. Maybe at least one of them could find peace in this situation.

"Yeah." Snow sighed, looking at the path as they walked down the path between tall buildings. "I just…I just needed to be in the presence of somebody who loved Serah as much as I did. Don't have to talk about it, necessarily, but…Well, I'm sure we're both feeling a lot of the same things."

_You mean like anger? Betrayal? Guilt? Yeah, I feel it all. _

"Serah shouldn't have been out there fighting in the first place," he began. "She should have had faith in me…I said I was going to bring you back."

Lightning's startled eyes went over to Snow. "That's what you think this is about? She left because she didn't have faith in you?"

"What else could have caused it?"

"Me."

The two of them stopped walking. Snow didn't know, then. He didn't know that Serah was out there because of Lightning telling her to be. His blue eyes danced all over her face, yet she didn't dare return his gaze. She was guilty.

"What're you talking about, Light?"

"Noel didn't just appear out of nowhere. He came to Valhalla and I told him to go get Serah and bring her to me. The reason that she was jumping through the timeline was because I told her to through Noel."

Snow was silent. So was Lightning. She expected Snow's full fury or grief now, but she didn't get it.

Instead, she felt Snow's hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault, Light…" he said gently. "She was out there fighting because she wanted to be, I guess…"

"If that's true, then you can't blame yourself either." There was a moment of silence. "You're not all talk, are you, Snow? You actually mean that I'm not to blame? Because if that's true, you're not at fault either."

Brief silence.

"Guess you're right," Snow agreed. "Thanks."

A silent nod was his response. The two of them started walking again. For a long while, it felt as if time didn't exist in the world. But no, Valhalla had not conquered them yet. Time was just passing extremely slowly or extremely quickly as they spent the rest of the day aimlessly walking around the city. At least Lightning got a sense to what the city was like even if she wasn't paying too much attention to her surroundings; that would help her in the quest that she and Caius had.

When they had enough walking around, their feet led them back to the Academy Headquarters. Neither of them said a word, because no words were needed. Instead, they soberly nodded to each other and parted ways.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Despite impressing upon Caius how both of them needed their rest, Lightning was up early the next morning. She was always an early riser; Serah could have testified to that. If she were alive. Thoughts like that forced Lightning to swear under her breath and curse Etro to a fate worse than death. Again, she found herself swearing that Etro would pay for cursing Serah and taking her away. And for betraying Lightning's trust.

Unaware if anyone was awake that early in the morning, Lightning found herself pacing the long hallway where the bedrooms were. No sounds were coming out of them, not even Sazh's snoring. Maybe he was awake already and just lying in bed, trying to delay the inevitable. Or he was trying not to awaken his son. He, unlike her, still had family to care for.

The pacing continued for a good while as thoughts of sorrow and anger about her lack of family threatened to consume her. Her parents died when she was younger. She never properly grieved over either of them because she was being strong. When Dad died, she was strong for her mom. When her mom died, she was strong for Serah. She was…

"Lightning."

She stopped pacing. The voice came from a bedroom. Somebody heard her from one of the bedrooms? How'd they figure it was her?

"What about her?"

No, they didn't hear her. They didn't even know that she was listening in. They were having a conversation about her. Though curiosity killed the cat, Lightning stood right outside Noel and Caius's bedroom as she eavesdropped.

"Come on, Caius, don't give me that look," Noel said. "You know I have reason to be concerned. You weren't exactly kind with her yesterday."

"She's a warrior. She is supposed to push her emotions behind her and get the job done. If she is going to travel with me, she needs to be that warrior."

"I think your traveling arrangements are the opposite," Noel pointed out. Behind that closed door, Noel raised an eyebrow at Caius. "She was the one who was able to create the first anomaly that brought you here. So you'll be with her, not her with you."

"But it will be my strength that sustains us." Lightning rolled her eyes. Caius was cocky, but if he was this cocky, they would have problems.

"Caius," Noel snapped. "Enough. Any normal person wouldn't be ready to leave on a journey like this even today. Lightning's extraordinary, in battle and in heart. Stop treating her like she's inferior just because she has people left in the world that she cares for."

Silence.

"I admit her battle skills are great," Caius said after a few moments. "But if she believes I will slow down because her heart is aching, then she is sadly mistaken."

_Oh my gosh, would you just shut up already?_ Lightning seethed silently. She wouldn't let her emotions get to her. Emotions came after the world was safe. After revenge was gained.

"I'm asking you this, Caius," Noel said. The sound of creaking told Lightning that Noel just got up off his bed. "If you still see me as a friend in any way, treat Lightning well. Protect her too."

Apparently Noel wasn't going to wait for an answer. His footsteps came towards the door so that he could exit. Skilled with stealth, Lightning quickly went down the hall and entered the kitchen. Nobody was there, which was good. She needed to think. Noel just asked Caius—**Caius Ballad**—to protect her. _Like I'll ever need his protection, _she thought. Even her mental tone of voice had bite to it. She would never allow herself to fall into the mercy of that man. If the day came where she were to save him on the other hand…She probably would, just to have power over him. She wouldn't let him die; she needed his blade by her side.

That was the only reason she would keep him alive.

"Good, you're awake," Caius's low growl of a voice said. The warrior in armor entered the kitchen where Lightning sat.

"Yeah," she said simply, glaring at him. The glare wasn't suspicious; she always glared at him. And she would continue to after yesterday's conversation.

"Are you ready?"

"As soon as I say goodbye," she spat.

"Then say goodbye. Before I drag you out of here."

"I'm the one who can create the rifts, Ballad," Lightning said coolly. "So you're in no position to be dragging me anywhere."

"You couldn't get Light to go with you against her will anyway," a new voice said from the doorway. The eyes of the warriors went to Hope Estheim, who was wearing the faintest of smiles. "Light's too stubborn for that."

"Stubborn, yes," Caius muttered. Lightning's glare returned to him as Hope, along with Snow, Sazh, and Noel entered the room. All of them chose to ignore Caius's murmur, except for Noel. He gave the man a glare as well.

"Light, you heading out?" Snow asked, running his hand over his hair in what she recognized to be a nervous gesture.

"Yeah. We need to go."

"We won't keep you," Sazh said. He too wore a faint smile as he cracked a joke. "You're not one to let people hold you back anyway."

"Guess you would know that pretty well, wouldn't you Old Man?" Snow taunted jokingly. "After all, Light was the one who dragged you into the Fal'Cie Vestige."

"Yeah, basically," he chuckled. "And you tried to leave me being because I slowed you down. But you gotta admit, I came in handy for battles."

"You weren't _completely _useless," she agreed with the slightest of smirks.

"That's all I can hope for in my old age."

The group managed a few chuckles, but they quickly faded. Now wasn't the time for jokes.

"Right then," Lightning said after a few moments. She rose to her feet and looked at her friends. Refusing to say goodbye, she said, "We'll be back before you know it."

"We're gonna hold you to that," Snow assured her. "If you're not back, we'll find a way to get you and kick your butt for not returning."

"You'll swoop in and be the hero?" she checked.

"Always."

Lightning smiled faintly as Snow clasped her shoulder. _As long as you keep that positive attitude, you'll turn out just fine, _she thought to her friend. Sazh also had the courage to clasp her shoulder in farewell, as did Noel. The only one that dared to give Lightning a hug was Hope. That wasn't too surprising though, considering the relationship they had. They were like siblings. As long as they lived, they would look out for each other.

The farewells came to a close after a few minutes. Caius, silent for once, didn't interrupt the goodbyes. That was at least one thing that he had done right.

The two of them headed towards the outskirts of the city. If they were going to create a rift, they wanted to do it away from other people. There was no need to frighten them worse than they already were because of Valhalla's threat. No interruptions would be a plus as well, since Lightning wasn't even sure how she was planning on making this rift. The first time she did, it was because she had a rare moment of having a strong desire to get away from Caius.

_I'm supposed to get us to 400 AF,_ Lightning thought to herself as they exited the city_. But that's not what I desire most. What I desire most is for Serah to be alive. _Yet no portal appeared for that desire. It was because there was no chance that Serah could come back. That was why Caius couldn't create portals, wasn't it? His greatest desire was not to go to 400 AF, but for Yeul to be alive. That impossible desire being his priority prevented him from creating the rifts.

That made so much sense now! No wonder Caius was so dependent on Lightning creating the rift. If he could, he would have left already. But he couldn't because of his heart's state. And** he **dared to complain that Lightning's heart was wound with emotions…What a hypocrite.

"Have we walked far enough?" Caius finally asked.

The two of them stood at least half a mile away from the city, in an area where the crass was to their ankles and the wildflowers were beginning to wither. There wasn't even wind around them; everything was so deathly eerie. Nobody was around. "Yeah, it's enough," Lightning said after a moment.

"What is the agenda?"

"Go to 400 AF Academia to get a bunch of weapons."

Caius was silent.

"What?" Lightning asked with an arched brow.

"Nevermind it," he said as he shook his head. "Create the rift."

"Okay." But how exactly do I do that? She knew she had to think of her strongest desire and a rift would appear to help her get closer to that desire. What did she desire more than Serah returning to life? What could she possibly want that would allow her to get to 400 AF_? I probably should have thought this out sooner…Caius is going to be so impatient with me._

Lightning started pacing, trying to understand her own heart. Funny how easily she could analyze the states of her friends, and even Caius, yet she couldn't comprehend her own feelings and desires.

"What's the matter?" Caius asked after a few moments of pacing.

Instead of snapping, she answered honestly. "I'm not sure what I can desire so much that it'll take us to that specific time and place," she said. The pacing continued as she expected Caius to lose his patience with her.

He did not, however. Instead, he began to brainstorm with her. "We're going to 400 AF not for revenge, but for the sake of your friends."

"Yes, we are."

"What do you hope to accomplish there?"

"I told you, Caius," Lightning snapped. "Get weapons."

"That was not what I meant," he said with a sigh. "What do you hope to gain out of it, Lightning? What are your motives?"

What did she want out of this? This wasn't just a job; she would have thrown it aside if that was the case. "I want…to protect my friends," she thought aloud. She wanted the weapons to save them.

"Then make that your greatest desire."

_That I may be able to do. Okay_. Lightning stopped pacing, lifting a hand to her lightning-shaped necklace pendant as she shut her eyes. _My friends,_ she repeated mentally. _I want to protect them. _

Nothing happened.

_Please,_ she thought desperately. _Please…they're all that I have left now. If I can do anything for them, I want to do it. More than anything, I want to save them. _

At that, an orange rift appeared to her right. She opened her eyes at the faint wind that now blew through the area as her eyes found the anomaly. _I did it. I accomplished it. Thank goodness…_ Maybe she could create more rifts in the future, as long as she believed in protecting her friends.

"Excellent," Caius said with a small nod. "Let's depart."

Nodding faintly, Lightning glanced over at him to see him heading towards the rift. She walked forward at the same pace, entering it at the same moment as him as the two of them vanished from time.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Hello there! Thanks for reading chapter 3 of the story (: Here are some notes/shout-outs to people and reviews and all that jazz. First let me say just how incredible it is to have 18 reviews for the first two chapters. Seriously guys, I NEVER could have expected such an enthusiastic response. Thank you so much for the support! And now onto the specifics: **

**i: Thanks for all the compliments! I do work very hard at the grammar and the flow of writing in general. Yes, I've done all this myself. There's absolutely nobody giving me ideas for the story so it's all from my crazy/twisted mind. And because my mind is twisted, I will turn these two enemies into people who genuinely care about each other personally and romantically. ;) Don't you worry; I'll take my time and do it justice.  
><strong> 

**Nirianna- "Now let's see if those two can cooperate without drawing out swords every 10 seconds!" Exactly! These two are definitely not on friendly terms right now. It's a ton of fun to write tension like this. But I can't wait to show you guys how I plan to evolve out of this stage into…well, something VERY different. ;)**

**Hannah Abby/other people commenting on this topic- "I like how you dealt with Lightning's grief over Serah's death. How she wanted to break down but wouldn't, even in privacy, is really in character for her." Thanks, I really tried to keep her in character but show her grief. A lot of people act like Lightning is emotionless or invincible, but she really isn't. I think the reason I was able to portray her grief so well is because I'm a lot like Lightning in how I cope with my emotions. That REALLY helps me keep Lightning in character, which I know a ton of people appreciate.  
><strong> 

**Think that's all for the personal stuff for this time. (: See you guys with another update in a week or two! Peanut is signin' out. **


	4. Chapter 4: New Bodhum

Chapter Four: New Bodhum

Lightning and Caius drifted through the Historia Crux until they found another rift that they could exit by. With the gates having all vanished, they had to take whatever exit they could get and hope that it was the one that they needed.

But as they walked out of the rift, they quickly realized that this wasn't their original destination.

"What?" Lightning grunted, gazing around the area. It was dark, and in the distance, she could see Valhalla's shadow lingering. Apparently all the times were going to be like this, since Valhalla did affect time itself. Looking at her closer surroundings, she saw that they were close to a body of water and at the top of a hill overlooking a small town.

"New Bodhum," Caius inserted. "I'm unsure about the year, though…"

"It can't be too late in the timeline," she thought aloud. It looked too similar to the New Bodhum that Serah had lived in during 3 AF. "Let's go down and find out."

"What happened to getting to Academia?"

"How should I know?"

"You were the one who created the rift. Did you have another strong desire that would lead us here?"

Since it was a logical question, Lightning didn't snap at Caius. Did she have another desire? No…What desire would have made her come to this place? She had never actually been here before. Serah and Snow were at some point, but they couldn't be here now. "No, but I have a question," she said as she turned to face Caius. "Is it possible that we'll run into some friends here, like…"

"Like Serah?" he filled in. "Doubtful. Etro would not so easily allow that paradox. We may still be able to use the rifts to travel time, but I'm certain that the times any of us were previously in will be blocked off. That way, we cannot interfere with our earlier quest. Make sense?"

"Completely," she said with a nod. So certain times that Noel, Serah, Caius, and herself had visited were off limits because Etro maintained mostly dominate control of the timeline. She was both relieved and saddened that she wouldn't see Serah. Seeing her and being unable to save her would have been torture. However, Caius's line of logic brought up another thought in her mind. "Ok, so let's say that's the case. Then what was the point of us trying to go to 400 AF? Hope is in that time, so if we were allowed there, we'd run into him. Etro wouldn't allow that."

"That's correct. I honestly believed that we would not end up in that time period. I did, however, think that we would come near to it—perhaps ten years later, in that place. This is completely random."

"Maybe only because we can't see the big picture. Let's go find out," she urged again. This time, she started forward down the narrow path towards New Bodhum's fence. Caius followed without another word. His knowledge of the timeline and of Etro was beneficial; she had to admit that much. Just as long as he was logical and not pushy, then maybe this journey wouldn't be so horrendous after all.

"I expect that you'll learn how to use the rifts more efficiently in the future," Caius said as he ruined his good streak. He knew all too well that there was no real way to control this, so why did he have to bring it up?

"Right," Lightning said as she bit her tongue. No point arguing over it now. I don't really want to get into another duel, especially not here. The town seemed desolate as they entered through the fence's open door and had a clear view of everything. There were still houses by the beach in good condition, but the town hadn't expanded at all since Serah lived here. Her old home was still standing…Exploring that seemed like a good place to start.

The soldier walked up the stairs and entered the headquarters in silence, but silence did not surround her for long. A voice to her left called to her. "L-Lightning?"

Looking over to that side, Lightning saw a person standing being a counter. Her black hair was messily pulled back as she wore a white blouse that was over her shoulders instead of just laying on her upper arms like it used to be. She looked aged compared to the last time she saw her. "…Lebreau."

Lebreau came out from behind the counter, revealing that her whole outfit was different. Instead of the short shorts that she wore before, she now had on black pants. The dressing was more conservative than a few years ago, much more serious. Things had certainly changed since Lightning last saw her.

"Gosh, Lightning…" Lebreau said in aw, stopping a few feet away as she eyed Lightning over. "…Is this really you?"

"Yeah."

Coming out of her stupor, Lebreau managed a chuckle. "That **is **the type of short answer you'd give…" she thought as she shook her head. "So, you're alive after all?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah…" she said with a weak smile. "Well, it's good to see you alive, Lightning. We were all worried when the gate suddenly disappeared. But if you're alive, that means Serah's okay too, right? She's just stuck in another time…"

"Woah, Lightning?" Maqui's shocked voice sounded from the other side of the room. At his loud tone, Yuj and Gadot also came running over and joined in the gawking. They must have been shocked, seeing someone who disappeared a long time ago in their reality. They themselves looked different, though. More equipped for battle and serious along with older, wiser, and more weary.

"Yeah," Lightning found herself saying again as she lifted a hand in greeting.

"Who's this guy?" Gadot asked suspiciously as he eyed the silent Caius.

"An ally."

"Strange ally," Yuj stated as he too studied Gadot. He seemed to be marveling at his purple hair.

"Yeah, strange," she said absently, though she agreed. Caius was quite odd.

"So where's Serah?" inquired Gadot more optimistically. "Can't be too far behind, can she?"

Lightning's gaze went to the floor. "…Serah's not here."

"What? Then where?" Maqui piped in confusion.

"…Five hundred AF…gone."

"G-gone! You can't mean…?"

Lebreau instantly started to cry. "I knew it," she moaned. "I knew that if we let her go, she wouldn't come back…"

"What happened, Lightning?" someone asked tensely. Lightning was getting too choked up herself to look up and see who spoke. These people were Serah's family when she wasn't around…they protected her and loved her. They had a right to know it all.

"The goddess Etro was in danger…" she said factually without looking up. "…I sent Noel here to bring Serah to me so that she could help. Serah died almost right after the final battle. After she set the timeline right."

"Serah…sweet Serah," Lebreau sobbed. It was heartbreaking to see someone who was normally so strong break down so immediately. But that was what happened after living in fear for Serah's life for so long. All of them were broken.

"It's my fault," Lightning immediately blurted. That was when she had Gadot's full attention on her. "I shouldn't have brought her into the fight."

Even with her head lowered, Lightning thought she could sense so many glares on her. Lebreau continued crying quietly a few feet away, Maqui stared at the ground, Yuj at the ceiling, and Gadot at her. Caius stared as well, silently observing. Even he was probably feeling awkward, despite how he seemed to care about nobody but Yeul. Seeing all these people caring for Serah must have been odd.

Gadot approached Lightning, the well-built young man standing right in front of her. "You…" he mustered. Lightning still didn't look up. "You…had to drag Serah along into death, didn't you?" he finally boomed, losing his temper. "You were dead to the world and had to drag Serah down with you! What the heck is wrong with you, bringing a girl like Serah into a fight for the world? She's not like you! She's…"

_Caring. Innocent. One of a kind, _Lightning finished mentally, not backing down from Gadot's screaming. "I'll face the consequences of my actions," she said as she finally looked up. "It's all I can do now."

Gadot let out an angry roar. His face was twisted with fury, and at that moment, Lightning realized that he handled grief the same way that she did: he channeled all the sadness and sorrow into pure rage.

That rage was going to impact Lightning in the form of a fist.

He lifted his hand and swung at Lightning. She shut her eyes and braced for it, knowing full well that she deserved that kind of punishment. She accepted it. And although she did not move to avoid it, the fist never connected with her face.

Caius was suddenly right next to her, close enough that his torso was touching her back. His hand caught Gadot's might fist about six inches away from her face. When Lightning opened her eyes and glanced back at Caius, her eyes reflected her shock. He just stepped in to save her from a blow? He didn't have to do that, especially since this wasn't a battle. What compelled him to do that?

"What the heck, man?" Gadot cried angrily at Caius as he tugged his fist back to his side.

"Taking out your misguided wrath at Lightning isn't going to solve anything," Caius said calmly.

"Misguided? She just said it was her fault!"

"You'd expect that from any sibling, wouldn't you?" he continued in the same calm tone. "In reality, Lightning had nothing to do with Serah's death."

"What's your take on it, stranger?" Maqui finally asked. His tone was softer, more timid. Closer to heartbreak than to anger.

"The goddess Etro started this battle. She deceived Lightning, Serah, and Noel into believing she was a goddess of benevolence," Caius explained lowly. "Truly, she was a cruel goddess. She cursed Serah with the ability to see the future. Each time Serah saw the future, her lifespan was cut. Etro is at fault."

The silence in the room told Lightning that they all heard what Caius had to say. She knew Etro caused Serah's death, but she still had to blame herself. She was her sister, after all. Meant to protect her…But Lightning could never protect. She only destroyed. Her bewildered eyes stayed on Caius as he lingered nearby in case Gadot decided to throw another punch at her.

But he didn't. Instead, he took a few steps back and began to calm back. "I'm sorry," he said heavily. "I should have known you were just saying that it was your fault. You always did like to take the responsibility for everything, huh Lightning?"

The soldier remained silent.

"So, what are you doing here, Light?" Lebreau finally asked as she composed herself and wiped at her tears. "Does it have to do with the darkness that appeared?"

"Yeah," she said. That was the same short answer she kept giving Lebreau earlier. She felt a little bad about it, but she was at a loss for words herself. Everyone was willing to accept she wasn't guilty, just like that?

"What year is it now, and what year did the darkness appear?" Caius asked.

"It's ten AF," Yuj said. "And the darkness…Well, that's complicated. One day we sort of just looked into the sky and realized that it was there. We can remember times that it wasn't, but we can't pinpoint a date for when it appeared."

"Is it some kind of paradox?" asked Marqui.

"Sort of," Lightning said. "It's caused by the appearance of Valhalla in this world."

"Valhalla?"

"The unseen realm. It's a place of no life, death, or time," she continued. "It's where I was, and where Etro currently is. She was restored to power and revealed her true nature then. She released chaos into this world at that moment, but she hasn't converted this world to Valhalla yet. She needs a huge amount of death to be able to release the rest of her Chaos into this realm and turn this world into a place without time, life, or death."

"So you're trying to stop her," Lebreau assumed.

"Yeah." She cursed herself for that answer yet again. "But with the gates gone, travelling time is a little more sketchy. We didn't mean to end up here."

"Huh," Maqui said as he tried to think. "Do you think Etro messed things up so you guys wouldn't be close to her?"

"It's possible," Caius input. "But doubtful. We are travelling through rifts created through purest desires. A gift from another god a long time ago."

"So what desire brought you here?"

Caius's gaze went to Lightning for the answer.

"My desire was to protect my friends," Lightning said after a second. "That was what brought us here."

"You…consider us friends, Lightning?" Lebreau asked in surprise. But she was also touched by Lightning's desire. The fact that her desire was as it was and she was brought here proved the truth: she **did **consider Lebreau, Gadot, Maqui, and Yuj to be friends. When they were in Bodhum, Lightning couldn't stand them. They were reckless fools. But now Lightning saw them as reckless people, but they had good hearts. They had to in order to raise up this town.

They were her friends.

"That's…kind," Yuj stumbled over his words, clearly surprised. Lightning wasn't the type to show friendship too often, so it must have been flattering to hear that she not only liked them, but considered them to be friends. "So your desire to protect your friends brought you here. You were thinking of other friends, but fate had something else in mind."

"The question is…what would you need to protect us from?" Maqui finished for Yuj.

That was an excellent question. One that Lightning didn't have an answer to. A shrug was the only response that she could offer to the people around her. What danger was there in this time period? She witnessed the timeline from Valhalla and nothing of significance happened until—"What year is it again?" she asked suddenly.

Everyone around her exchanged curious looks before Gadot answered, "Ten AF."

"Ten AF? That means-!"

A great roar from outside interrupted Lightning. It was loud enough that even she had to cover her ears at the mighty bellow that came from the beast she knew now that she came to stop. From Valhalla, she had seen a threat appear on Gran Pulse in this year. But what happened to it was something that she couldn't remember for the life of her.

"Lightning! What's going on?" Gadot cried as he too covered his ears. The bellow continued for a few more seconds before it faded.

The house stopped shaking, but Lightning's heart only pounded harder. "The Dawn Dragon," she gasped.

"What?"

"Yes," Caius said, having realized the truth at the same time as Lightning. "The Dawn Dragon is a beast that appeared out of the ruins of Cocoon at this time period. He ravages many towns and destroys them before they even have hope of creating themselves into great cities."

"But New Bodhum wasn't supposed to be destroyed," she recalled. "So why is he here now?"

"The goddess has a hand in all things. Most likely, she saw our coming and is trying to set the Dragon on us rather than sending a new enemy and creating a paradox."

"Then if we leave, so will the dragon."

"Not so likely. The goddess will use the dragon to threaten those close to you until you take action."

"So we need to face it head-on."

"Correct," Caius said with a nod.

Alright. Lightning knew this wasn't a battle that they could flee from, so it was best to run into it right away before the Dawn Dragon could do any severe damage. She started out of the building alone, shouldering the responsibility on herself. "You all stay here," she recommended to Lebreau and the others. "None of you are meant to die in this time. I don't want to see what happens if you die early." It would create some kind of paradox. Nobody wanted that.

"You expect us to just sit by the sidelines while you fight a dragon?" Gadot asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Lightning responded simply. She ran out of the building before anyone could argue with her further. She expected that maybe Gadot would try to follow and fight, but she also expected that the goddess wouldn't allow anyone else to interfere with the fight. She only wanted Lightning and Caius dead, so she would target them as long as she could.

All Lightning could do was hope that she and Caius were strong enough to face this beast. Neither of them fought any real battles since losing their divine power.

The dragon entered Lightning's sight as soon as she was standing in the middle of the beach. Ruby red and skinny, the dragon reflected death in every way. The Dawn Dragon was meant to destroy new towns at their very dawns before they could rise to face the day. It was meant to take away hope just as the people began to grasp it.

That was why it needed to die.

The dragon flew down and stood right along the water's edge, tail swinging lightly as it took up nearly the whole waterline. _Okay. Okay…I've faced worse than this. I've faced Fal'Cie, for Pulse' sake. I can do this._

Solemnly, the soldier pulled her sword out of her case and held it by her side. She was ready for battle, and so was the dragon. With a mighty roar, the beast spun around and swung its tail at her. Lightning as able to jump over it to avoid it, but the large rock to her right was badly damaged by the strong swing. Thus a problem quickly arose: they couldn't fight their battle here by the town; innocent people would get hurt.

They had to lead the dragon away from here, but how?

"Hey!" Lightning hollered on impulse, regaining the dragon's attention as she shot bullets at it. "You want me? Come and get me!" And so she took off in a sprint towards the path leading out of town.

Shockingly, the dragon actually abandoned the town and started stomping along the beach to follow Lightning. If she had time to think about it, she would have realized that it made complete sense. After all, the further away from the village Lightning was, the less help she could receive from others. The more likely she was to die.

The soldier leaped onto the fallen tree, running without losing her balance for even a second. Her first plan worked but she had no clue what to do next. She glanced over her shoulder, grunting when the dragon was right there and swinging his tail at the tree. The tail impacted the very middle of the tree, crashing it hard enough to send chunks of it flying and splinters everywhere. Fortunately for her, she was able to jump off the edge of the tree and onto solid ground before it completely collapsed. Now nobody was going to follow her for sure.

The realization that she was truly alone in this fight made her heart skip a beat in panic. However, she quieted the panic with rational thinking. Unleashed panic would only make things worse. She just had to come up with a plan.

She spun around and neared the edge of the ground to see where the dragon was, since it seemed to have disappeared after destroying the tree. She didn't have to look for long, though.

The dragon's shadow loomed over Lightning as it flew in the air above her. It inhaled and she quickly took in a breath as well. "Fire," she panted. Great. She sprinted to the side, jumping from land mass to land mass as the dragon breathed a fiery path of destruction right behind her. The heat lapped right at her heels, but it wouldn't conquer her.

She suddenly had a plan.

Lightning jumped into the water, thankful that it was shallow as she kept up her speed. As soon as the fire hit the water, smoke appeared. The heat of the fire against the cold water caused the water to evaporate rapidly and create this fog. The smoke covered the entire area in a white fog, hiding Lightning from the dragon's sight. Now was her chance to strike.

Leaping onto the land again, she had her sword at the ready as she neared where she saw the dragon had landed by the water. When she was within ten feet of it, she had a clear enough view of it. Silently, she ran forward to catch it off guard. She could do it! It wasn't looking at her at all…

A battle-cry left her lips as she ran to the dragon and plunged her gunblade into its scales, right at the heart.

Her sword only managed to pierced a few inches. That was far from the fatal blow that she intended to inflict.

The Dawn Dragon roared at the blow, though it wasn't severe. The being looked down at Lightning with angry eyes and wiped its claw at her, sending her flying back into one of the palm trees. Her back impacted it roughly, a breathless grunt escaping her lips as she toppled onto her stomach. Her sword fell onto the dusty ground before her. _No…_ she thought instantly, seeing the smoke clear up as the dragon stomped over towards her. She just had her chance to defeat the dragon, but she blew it. What was she supposed to do now?

The dragon prepared to deal the final blow while Lightning was lying down and momentarily paralyzed with pain. It swung around, lifting its tail to smash Lightning into the ground. Though she knew that it wouldn't do her any good, she lifted her arm to shield herself.

Again, someone came to her rescue. A human-like shadow passed above her as he jumped off the top of the tree and onto the dragon's back. Now clear within her view, she saw that it was Caius. How and when he appeared, she didn't know. All that she knew was that she was now indebted to him. However, she couldn't focus on that right now. Her blue eyes followed his movements from her spot on the ground.

Caius Ballad retained his balance skillfully as he lifted on the beast's back. It couldn't throw him off for even a second. Within a few seconds, he lifted his hefty sword and plunged it into the dragon's back without effort. Darkness immediately emitted from the creature as it shrieked in pain. The tail lowered feebly to the ground right in front of Lightning as Caius withdrew his sword, jumped, and landed right in front of her. "Lightning, are you alright?" he asked calmly, glancing over at her.

"Yeah," she managed with a grunt. She was definitely sore, but no real damage was done. Slowly, she started to rise to her feet as the dragon faded away completely. "How did you do that?" He fell so easily to Caius…

"My blade is specially forged to defeat dragons," he explained.

Lightning shot him an angry, pained look. "That would have been nice to know beforehand."

"I wanted to see your strength."

"And I nearly got killed because of it," she spat.

"But you did not die," he responded coolly. "And now I have seen that you still possess some strength and wit about you. The fact that you even pierced the scaly surface proves that you're still very strong."

"…Thanks?" she said with suspicion. Was that some kind of compliment?

"Let us leave now that the danger is gone," Caius said simply, putting his sword onto his back.

However, Lightning wasn't ready to leave yet. She had some questions for Caius, and they weren't just about the battle that ensued. "Caius…Why did you not let Gadot punch me?" she couldn't help but ask.

He hmphed, looking away from Lightning. "The petty argument was wasting our time."

That wasn't the answer Lightning was expecting. She had been expecting something that was actually…sincere. But the only thing that was sincere about Caius was that he didn't have a heart or pity. "That's it, then?" she said as she started fuming. "You didn't have any compassion in that situation at all? You intervened for your own sake?"

"Yes," he said evenly. "Is that all you have to ask?"

"Yes," she responded angrily. "That's all."

Lightning started walking back to the town with her hands in tight fists by her sides, angry with herself. She assumed that Caius Ballad would have some kind of compassion towards human suffering. She had believed that maybe there was some good in him. His words just proved her wrong.

It was simply a shame that his words were not the truth.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Yup, that's the end of that chapter folks! I'm gonna get straight to the personal stuff: **

**i – Oh, there's no rush at all with publishing these. :P In fact, I already have 8 chapters done and I'm planning on working on the 9****th**** tonight. Writing is just SO important to me. Writing fanfics has helped me realize my dream and potential of writing novels in the real world. Someday I'll be the next best-seller, hopefully. :3 Okay, maybe not best seller, but I at least wanna be published. **

**That's it for personal this week; there weren't too many reviews for this chapter. Hopefully that'll change with this one! ;) **

**Have a good night guys!**

**Peanut**


	5. Chapter 5: Lightning's Redemption

Chapter Five: Lightning's Redemption

"Thanks. We should really go," Lightning was saying to Lebreau and the others as they stood inside the house. Caius Ballad stood right by the entrance, arms folded over his chest as he observed the scene. After slaying the Dawn Dragon, he lingered in that area for a few minutes to allow Lightning to reach the small town of New Bodhum before he did. He angered her.

That was good. He had said what he had for that specific purpose. The last thing that he wanted Lightning to believe that he had an ounce of compassion within him. The truth would remain hidden and he would remain on task. The soldier would have no clue that he actually felt sorrow for her sake and the death of her sister. He did respect Lightning's dedication to Serah. But that was it. He felt nothing else. He wouldn't allow himself to.

They needed to stay on task.

Hence why he was standing by the doorway in his current position. Lightning had her time here with her friends; now it was time to continue on. They needed to face Etro as soon as possible. Not because she would pose a threat if they didn't stop her sooner (she could inflict her damage at any time, even this present). No, Caius wanted to kill her immediately to avenge Yeul. Yeul did not deserve the fate that she received.

After accepting some potions, Lightning was finally able to tear herself away from the others. She still wouldn't look him in the eye after what he said earlier as she walked past him and out the building. He "hmphed" faintly in satisfaction before he followed her out. She could ignore him all that she wanted, but he was still going to travel with her. Unfortunately, it was his only choice.

"What will be your motivation this time?" Caius asked as the two of them headed out of the town.

"Same as before."

"Is that wise?"

"Got a better idea?" she inquired coolly.

"Any idea that gets us closer to Etro is one that I'd find better," he responded in the same tone.

"Then make your own rift."

Caius was beginning to be amused by Lightning. She sure was snippy when she was angry. This had to be about something more than his lack of compassion. After all, Caius was only known for showing compassion to one person in the past and that was Yeul. There was no way that he would allow Lightning to receive the gentle treatment that he gave to Yeul. She would not allow that to occur anyway; she was too stubborn, too strong.

He decided to hold his tongue as they jumped up the remaining bits and pieces of the tree to the higher land. The silence continued as they walked further and further away from the town. It wouldn't do good to startle the townspeople with a rift. Surely they were already shaken by the appearance of the Dawn Dragon.

That was a curious matter. But he chose not to reflect on it now. In time, his theories would be proven to be true or false.

"That's far enough," Caius declared upon seeing Lightning stop. Apparently she thought so as well, because she did not pick a fight with him._ The Dawn Dragon isn't the only thing that's curious, _he thought, observing Lightning. Instead of speaking to him, she was already focusing on thoughts that would create a rift in time. How long did she plan to keep up this silence? They would need to start speaking again very soon. They were on this quest together whether they wanted to be or not.

Whatever she decided to contemplate on, she did manage to create the rift within less than two minutes this time. _Good, _he thought in silence. He started forward towards the orange rift at the same time as Lightning. Together, the two of them disappeared from 10 AF and reappeared in the crossroads of the eras.

"How long do you intend to keep silent, Lightning?" Caius asked as they floated along.

Silence was his response.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You're a mysterious entity, Guardian," he commented.

"Don't call me that."

Finally, he managed to break through her silence. Feeling successful, he continued from that point. "Why? Are you ashamed of your servitude to the goddess?"

"What I meant was don't give me the dishonor of your title, Caius," she said coldly. 'You were the 'One True Guardian', after all. And you failed miserably."

He grunted, looking over at Lightning beside him. She had a quick wit about her, he'd give her that much. But—"You are a hypocrite, ruining the sanctity of death by bringing Yeul into this discussion after insisting I didn't do the same with Serah." Though his response was calm, his anger was building within him. Nobody could speak of Yeul poorly and get away with it. Especially not Lightning.

"You're the one who's trying to pick a fight with me. I'll do whatever I have to in order to put you back in your place."

"And what place is this, dare I ask?"

"A place where you stop trying to torment others. I know that must be hard for you, Caius," she said sarcastically. "Destruction is in your nature."

He chuckled. "Yes, yes it is," he agreed. "But it is also in yours. Lightning…It shines bright, then flickers away in an instant. It can't protect. It only destroys."

Startled, Lightning shifted her gaze to him. "How…did you know about that?"

"I am—or formerly was, the guardian of the timeline," Caius stated. "I know many things. Mostly, I know those who choose to stand against me."

"You exploit weakness without mercy," she mumbled.

"Did you hear that from Noel?" the man asked with curiosity. However, he did not wait for a response. "He is the one who realizes that most, I suppose."

"Of course he does," she spat. "You betrayed him."

"For the sake of Yeul, yes. And I would do it again in a heartbeat, despite how greatly I valued that friendship with Noel. He was, perhaps, my only real friend save for Yeul."

"And they're the only friends you'll ever have if you keep picking fights with every person you meet."

"Are you suggesting you want to be my friend, Lightning?" he asked in amusement. That was really what it sounded like, but no, he surely misunderstood her. Lightning would never befriend somebody like himself. He was willing to tear apart time for the sake of one person and damn the rest. She, on the other hand, was willing to sacrifice even herself for the sake of others. They were so different.

Yet they were so alike. Both served a false goddess. Both attempted to protect somebody dear to them and failed doing it. And now, both were obsessed with revenge.

"Rift at nine o'clock," Lightning said as she looked over to her left. Sure enough, they could escape the Historia Crux here.

_Hmph_, he thought with a small smirk. _Alright, Lightning. I'll allow this diversion for now._ He shifted his coarse and headed to the side at the same time as she did and the two of them entered a new time.

As soon as they walked out onto solid land, he realized that Lightning had led them to a place other than Valhalla once again.

"Bresha Ruins…" she said, looking around the green and grassy area. The air was damp, as if rain fell just recently. But all was still in the woodsy area just outside the Bresha Ruins. Thankfully they had not appeared in an area where others were. Still, why were they here in the first place? "Caius, what year is this?"

Instead of antagonizing her, he looked around and studied it. The trees were not yet scraped with the Dragon attack of 110 AF, so it was before that time. "Hard to say," he said after a few moments. "I would suppose that it's around 100 AF."

"Around it, but not quite," she said in thought. "Noel and Serah came here that year. We wouldn't be allowed to run into them."

Caius nodded his silent response. Of course. She was stating an obvious fact now, but it was probably to remind herself that she would never be able to see her sister alive again.

"…I never studied this place intently," she confessed. "I assumed that once Atlas was taken care of, everything else was a dull story."

"And mostly, you were correct," he said, nodding once more. "The Bresha Ruins are not the most captivating part of history, but there is some significance of the events that occur here."

"Such as?"

"Such as the fact that around 20 AF, the area was becoming too dangerous to conduct studies. So, bounty hunters were brought in to subdue the monsters."

"I already knew that."

Caius held up a hand, signaling that he had more to say. "And nearly a century, in 110 AF, a dragon appeared and killed all the bounty hunters and multiple scholars of the Academy. The area remained uninhabited for almost one hundred fifty years afterward because people were so scared of the dragon."

"Dragon again," she muttered mostly to herself. "They weren't too many dragons in history that I knew of, yet this is the second time we've gone somewhere that encounters one. Do you think the dragons are going to try and attack Cocoon's pillar while people still inhabit the world and destroy it before we can even protect it?"

"That's the logical conclusion, but I'm not so certain that it works that way. You see, Etro already tried to destroy the pillar multiple times in history. But each time, she was countered and Cocoon was saved."

"Like in 300 AF, when Noel and Serah stopped the giant flan," Lightning stated.

Impressed with her deductive reasoning, he nodded for a third time. "Yes. Trying as mightily as she could, she could not collapse the pillar through natural means like flans or even dragons. So if we go to a time where she attempts to destroy it, we know she will not succeed because somebody steps in to stop her each time."

"We know the future because it was once our past."

"Precisely."

"But there's still a slight chance things will change this time around," Lightning said in thought. "Etro has regained a lot of strength. This time, she could succeed in destroying Cocoon somehow."

"Correct again." Her logic impressed him. It was not easy to sort out the timeline yet she was able to do it with more skill than anyone else beside himself and Yeul. He grunted, curling his hands into fists. _Yeul…I will avenge you. I swear it._

Fortunately for him, Lightning did not notice that anything appeared to be wrong. She was too busy focusing on thoughts of strategy and battle. "Alright, so let's go into the ruins and find out what year it is."

"No need to do that," Caius said, shifting his gaze to the sky. Through the green leaves of the trees, he could see just a faint bit of the sky. But sky and trees were not the only things that he saw.

The dragon stirred up some wind in the small forest as he flew above them, flying straight towards the ruins that he was destined to destroy.

Lightning gasped when she too realized that the dragon was present, her blue eyes wide and then narrowing as she shifted her gaze to him. "Caius!" she cried, motioning for him to run with her to the ruins. She wanted to stop the dragon.

But he would not allow her to. She only managed to get one step away before he reached out and grasped her forearm. She stopped dead in her tracks, turned around halfway, and glared at him. "What?" she spat.

"You act too rashly," he criticized. "Those lives are meant to end. If they do not, a paradox could occur."

"What type of paradox?"

"Let's say a husband of someone is meant to die today. But when he returns home, he and his wife have a child that was never meant to exist. Somewhere down that line of people that were never meant to exist, Etro could raise someone up to stand against us. Someone who can actually destroy the crystal pillar."

Despite his perfect logic, Lightning was shaking her head. That wasn't something he was surprised by, but it did irritate him. "It does matter. Human life is still more important."

She ripped her arm out of his and ran towards the ruins despite the sanctity of time and the consequences in mind. Was human life really so important to her? It should have been the opposite, considering how Caius spent a lot of time at the end of days and saw so many die. He should have been the one valuing human life. Maybe…Maybe deep down he did find value in it, because he too ran towards the ruins to face the dragon.

They sprinted through the woods, and though Caius was nimble, he was amazed at the quick maneuvers Lightning did to avoid the trees. She truly was a skilled warrior, and for that, she had his undying respect.

Still, what a strange woman. So strong physically and emotionally. She held her head high and didn't let any single person look down on her. Then again, he had seen the same traits within Serah. The two of them were surely related; he could tell by their hearts as much as their appearance.

The two of them ran through the abandoned lower area and up the stairs, jumping over tons of rubble in order to even reach that area. There he saw the dragon was waiting for them. _Of course,_ he thought silently, standing atop the rubble as he gazed at the icy blue dragon. _Etro knows we are here. She wants to kill us above all else. _

"Hmph," Lightning hummed, thinking the same thoughts as Caius as she stood right next to him. When the dragon didn't make a move, she shifted her gaze to him instead of attacking right away. "Go ahead, Caius. This dragon is yours."

That certainly wasn't what he expected to hear from Lightning. He expected her to give him some type of strategy that he was supposed to follow through with, not responsibility for the whole battle. "What?" he asked dumbly, looking away from the dragon to her. She couldn't be serious.

"I fought the last one," she stated coolly. "And you stood by and watched. This time, it's my turn to watch the show."

"Are you really sadistic enough that you'd enjoy seeing me get hurt by a dragon?"

"Not sadistic necessarily. I want to see you prove yourself. I'm not so sure that you're capable of skilled fighting anymore."

Caius bought into Lightning's words, feeling angered that she believed he would be so weak. Then again, he had insulted her in the same manner earlier by forcing her to face the dragon alone. "As you wish," he said coldly, angered that his own argument was being thrown back at him.

If Lightning wanted a show, then he would gladly give it to her.

The former Guardian jumped off the rubble, stepping forward a few calm steps as he slowly took his sword off his back. "Can you understand me, fowl beast?" he asked the dragon boldly. "You will rue the day that you dared to appear here and gain my attention."

Caius was not sure if he was mistaken or not, but he thought he heard Lightning laughing behind him. He ground his teeth in anger and tightly gripped his weapon, just in time for the dragon to leap forward and snap its jaws at him. He lifted his weapon, grunting when the teeth gripped on it tightly and the dragon started pulling him closer to it. _Not kidding around, huh?_ he thought, grunting as he tried to pull Ragnarok out of the dragon's jaw.

But he could not; the dragon was too strong for him. The dragon yanked its head up suddenly, sending Caius flying into the air as he lost his grip on the weapon.

Still, he managed to compose himself in midair. He landed atop the dragon's head and then jumped off of him, eyes cautious as the dragon swung its head and tossed his weapon a long ways away. Well, that was terrific. He grunted again when the beast swung its tail at him, the warrior barely managing to jump over it and avoid it. There was no way he could win without a weapon.

"Caius!" Lightning cried.

Without any further explanation, he knew what she had in mind. He looked over and lifted his hand just in time, catching the gunblade that Lightning threw at him with ease.

"C'mon, Caius, show me what you can do," Lightning encouraged, though her expression was serious. As was his.

He leaped off the ground and gripped the hilt of Lightning's blade firmly as the fight began once again. With every movement of the beast, he had to adjust his own. It was like a dance, and he had no patience for such idle dancing. He wanted to inflict grave damage, but with Lightning's gunblade, he didn't dare. It was a strong weapon, but not strong enough to kill the dragon in one blow.

He needed a new strategy. He tried casting magic at the dragon's eyes to make it blind, but of course the dragon had up a magical shield that deflected any type of magic. That should have been obvious to him, for he knew that dragons were very magic-oriented creatures. Their greatest offensive magic was their fire breath, but defensively, the excelled in magic. Only physical blows could hurt them. And the only way to deal a physical blow was to get extremely close to the dragon.

No matter what he thought through, he knew he needed to take a chance and get close to the dragon. The beast was not allowing him to get closer to his fallen sword.

In a rash move, he jumped onto the dragon's back, balancing on its shoulder blades as he swung the gunblade at its long neck.

The blow never landed, for the dragon was much more flexible than Caius first suspected. Its tail came up and grabbed his ankle, ripping him off the beast's back. He had only a second to feel panic before the dragon swung him and released him, knocking him into a hard piece of rubble. Grunting roughly, he laid atop the fallen rubble and tried to regain himself.

But he could not regain himself quickly enough. Before he knew it, the dragon was right in front of him and preparing to cook him with its fiery breath. In his last moments, he thought of the foolishness of Lightning, who dared him to face this dragon alone. She would have the weight of his death on her shoulders.

The wrath of the dragon never struck Caius. Instead, something struck the dragon. Though he could not see from his position what it was, he knew immediately who had intervened to save his life.

Lightning.

He swore under his breath just as the dragon roared, rearing back on its feet as it moved away from him. It was then he saw Lightning on the dragon's back, with Ragnarok piercing the dragon's neck. He should have noticed sooner that Lightning moved to get his weapon. He had not expected her to interfere in the fight, but he supposed it made sense. The two of them truly were desperate for someone to face Etro with. They would keep each other alive for that reason alone.

Lightning yanked out the sword, gracefully jumping off the dragon as it faded away into darkness. Though her expression was serious and grave as she looked over at him, she took the time to compliment him. "Not bad," she said, walking over to him and offering him a hand.

He accepted it without a word, holding her gunblade in one hand while she held his weapon in her free one. How odd it was that both of them were able to use each other's weapon so easily. It was a testament to what great warriors they both were.

Wordlessly, they traded weapons.

"What now?" she asked him.

Instead of answering, Caius put his sword on his back and walked forward to where the dragon had been standing. There should be something here…he thought, glancing over the ground until he saw an item shining in the sunlight. That was what he was looking for. He walked forward and knelt down, picking up the item that was shaped like an icicle. It was fairly small, his hand closing around it easily. Now he understood. The dragon hadn't been about to breathe fire; it had been about to freeze him. That fate was just as bad in many ways as perishing in fire.

"Caius?"

"This dragon was the Ice Dragon," he said calmly, turning to face Lightning. "He would have frozen this era if we had not stopped him."

She nodded faintly in recognition. "What's in your hand?"

"Whenever a dragon dies, they leave an item being. That item holds some of the magical properties of a dragon. The items can be used in several ways, but the most powerful use would be to gather many items from dead dragons, crush them together, and spread them over your weapon. That gives the weapon the ability to pierce the dragon's scales and perform other magic."

"It's a shame we didn't get something from the other dragon, then," she said as she thought back to the one in New Bodhum.

Caius shook his head faintly. "I retrieved it myself. I have it."

"What are we going to do with them? Use them to strengthen my gunblade?"

"Perhaps one day," he responded. "For now, we continue to collect them. Two shards of power are not enough magic."

"At this rate, we'll have the power to strengthen my blade in no time," Lightning said as she put her gunblade back into the case she had hanging from her skirt. Caius grunted his agreement. She was right. This was the second time period they had been to on their journey, and the second one where they ran into a dragon. He had an awful feeling that dragons were going to be a regular part of their travels from now on.

"The question is…why?" Caius thought aloud, continuing where his mind left off. Why were they connected to the dragons? Were they, even? They must have been; it was too coincidental that they ran into two of them already.

"Well, like you said, Etro still has some control of the timeline and the Historia Crux," Lightning stated. "So, she'll allow us to visit times where dragons exist and hope that they kill us."

"I get the sense that it's more than that, though…" he confessed.

Silence lingered in the air as he and Lightning both pondered over it. There was no logical explanation for the feeling that he had, but he was grateful that Lightning wasn't criticizing him for trusting his gut feeling. Perhaps she could understand the feeling. Maybe she was experiencing something similar.

"We can think about it somewhere else," she said suddenly. "We need to move."

He didn't dare ask why. Nor did he need to. Out of his left ear, he could hear rushed footsteps approaching. And lots of them. "The mercenaries," he said instantly.

"Right. And I doubt it would be good if we ran into them. That increases the chances of a major paradox."

A grunt was the only response he needed to give. He jumped atop the rubble and left the scene with Lightning right by his side. He knew that nobody would follow them to this place, not that they could overcome the rubble in their path to reach them. They were merely human, but he was something more even though the Heart of Chaos no longer beat in his chest.

He was one who sought revenge. In that way, he was to be feared so much more than he had been before. Revenge drove a person to madness if they could not accomplish it.

If the goddess could not fall, he and Lightning would succumb to madness together.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Hola! I had fun proofreading this chapter before posting; I had fun seeing how snarky I made Lightning. I had completely forgotten about that. :P Wow was that fun to write! **

**And now onto personal stuff: **

**Cheraichan: "it was good other than the battle seemed a bit on the anti-climatic side." Alas, you've found my weakness! Battle scenes really aren't my forte, but I promise I'm working on it! Hopefully they'll be better in the future. **

**GazerBlitz: "Cant say that I like this pairing. But your fic is kinda making me change my mind though :)". Yeah, I knew I was gonna have an uphill battle with making people like the pairing! After all, they're complete enemies in the game. I'm glad I've started to change your mind about the pairing. (:**

**Hannah Abby: About Caius saying "Make sense" not being in character, I'm actually prepared to put forth an argument that it is! In the prologue of the game, Caius did make a few short, for lack of a better word—sassy or snarky—comments such as "Keeping up?" and "Enjoying your little chat?" He doesn't necessarily say things in the longest or most profound way every time he speaks, so I wanted to catch that side of him as well. **

**i: That would be an interesting plot! I can see SE taking that up in XIII-3, if they decide to go through with it. Which I REALLY hope they do! **

**Nirianne: Yup, Caius continues to be uber cold. It's so fun to write him. xD But so sad too, because he was showing a bit of humanity…Sigh, oh well. We'll see his humanity later on. ;3**

**Artemiangel: Yeah, the fic is going to be pretty long. If you consider about 80,000 words to be long anyway; it's not gonna be a million words long. xP But hey, 80,000 is the average length for a novel…Anywho, I know I'm gonna need that time to develop their relationship. I hate it when people have characters jump from hate to love with no events to lead them there. It's so…UGH! Don't you worry; I'm gonna develop this really well and it'll all be done properly. **

**Wow, that was a lot of personal stuff! Thanks to everyone who reviewed; I appreciate you even if I didn't respond to you directly. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, always remember to drop a review, and I'll see you guys again in a week!**

**Peanut out. **


	6. Chapter 6: Trust and Truth

Chapter Six: Trust and Truth

Lightning wasn't even sure what day it was anymore since she and Caius had been so busy travelling. They probably should have taken the chance to rest up on New Bodhum when they were there, but they had been in a rush to leave. Well, Caius had been. He obviously wasn't comfortable around people who were associated with her.

Well, it hardly mattered what Caius thought about her friends. She was realizing now that when Caius wasn't busy being an antagonistic pain in the butt, he was actually a knowledgeable and capable ally. She had seen him fight with her gunblade against the dragon. Honestly, she was impressed that he was able to use the weapon so easily. Not many could. Though he didn't say anything earlier, she could tell that she impressed him with how she was able to wield his weapon as well.

So, through their strengths in battle, they were one step closer to being able to stand each other.

The two of them spent the evening strengthening that connection by talking strategy in the woods of the Bresha Ruins. Caius passed on more information about dragons and their vulnerable spots, and how she could do serious damage with her gunblade even when the weapon was barely able to pierce the scales of the dragon. And Lightning showed him how her Gravity Con unit worked.

The Gravity Con device was technology invented by the Guardian Corps on Cocoon in order to compensate for the lack of human strength. The beasts that sometimes came to different cities in Cocoon had much more strength in their limbs, so they could make greater jumps and get an advantage over the human soldier. The Grav Con device allowed the human to flicker with a blue light with the snap of their fingers and have supernatural agility.

It was after the revolutionary invention of the Grav Con Device that allowed the Gravity Bomb to be invented. The Gravity Bomb also allowed them to make large jumps and survive it easily, but it also created an aura around the user that suspended gravity around them. Lightning knew from experience that it was an extremely useful tool to have in battle, whether against animals or humans. Caius was especially interested in the technology of Cocoon because he spent all of his lives on Gran Pulse. That was where Yeul always was.

All of their talking gave time for the sun to set and for the stars to appear in the sky. However late it was, it didn't matter. Both of them needed to rest after the chaos of fighting two dragons.

"You rest up first," Lightning found herself saying to Caius. "Your fight was more tiring than mine."

"As you wish," Caius said simply. Finally, he wasn't being antagonizing. Either he was a bit weary from the day or he just was sick of fighting. Either was fine with her. The former Guardian took the sword off his back and stabbed it into the ground before he sat down beside it, leaning against the tree. Though she didn't like that they had to rest here, it was the best they could do. They didn't dare go closer to the ruins (there were too many beasts there to feel safe), and they didn't try to create a rift to get out of here. The exhaustion was too great.

So, resting here by the gentle waters of the Bresha Woods was the best that they could do for the night.

Within a few moments, Caius's even breathing blended into the sounds of nature around her. No wind blew tonight, so the only noises she heard were from the waters and from whatever animals were in the woods. According to Caius, they were only animals like owls. Not beasts that would attack them. Still they agreed it would be best for one of them to keep watch. She would stay awake a few hours and then Caius would take over so that she could rest. It was one of the first things they agreed to without any arguing.

Her thoughts weren't on Caius for long though. The soldier walked forward a few feet and knelt down by the water. The sky was clear enough that she could see the ground of Gran Pulse above her. Seeing that world reminded her of everything. Mostly, it made her think of Serah. Serah always did long to see Pulse, even before the l'cie incident. She was too curious for her own good…

Memories of Serah flooded to Lightning's mind as she stared up for an extremely long time. Serah's ambitions to be a history teacher. To do something meaningful with her life. To be extraordinary. She had accomplished all of that before her death. But her life's purpose was far from over. She shouldn't have been destined to die young. Somebody as good as her didn't deserve it. First she turned to crystal, and now she was dead.

Hours passed. It felt like both seconds and days at the same time for the weary, tired girl. But she still continued to listen for signs of disturbance in the forest.

The first disturbance she heard, though, was Caius waking himself up from his slumber.

For some reasons, she chose to ignore it and continue staring up at the sky. It was her turn to sleep, but she didn't think she could fall asleep with all these memories fresh in her mind.

Caius, though quiet, made it obvious that he was awake so he wouldn't startle Lightning. His weapon remained stabbed in the ground as he walked forward to be right next to Lightning. He did not sit down, but he did look at the sky as well.

"Yeul always gazed up at the sky too," he said randomly. "Whether she was looking at Cocoon or Pulse. Did Serah adopt this as well?"

"Yeah," Lightning answered quietly, humoring Caius in conversation. "She couldn't even see Pulse from our home, but she still looked at the sky and longed to go there. And she did. She lived out her dreams before…" Before dying.

Caius was silent after that. Apparently he wasn't good at carrying out a conversation about anything but battles. But Lightning was the same. _What do you know, another similarity. _

"Get some rest," he said after a few moments. "Tomorrow is one step closer to Etro."

"Right." Now was no time to get lost in the memories of that past. Chasing away whatever thoughts she had of Serah, Lightning picked herself up off the ground and walked over to the tree that Caius had been sitting up against earlier. Her eyes fell shut as she exhaled a breath, crossing her arms over her chest as she ignored the cool night air and tried to calm down her mind. Now was the time to sleep.

Normally she could quiet her mind enough to sleep. She had been on plenty of missions where she needed to sleep outside at night. Always, she had been knocked out within a few minutes. Not this time. She eventually laid down on the ground, tossing and turning for at least twenty minutes before she heard a voice speak to her.

"Sleep already, before I knock you unconscious."

Even with her eyes closed, Lightning rolled them. "Thanks for the kindness," she muttered. Whenever she and Caius were getting along, he had to go ahead and ruin it. Did he seriously get some kind of sick pleasure from creating anger in those around him? Or just antagonizing in general?

Either way, she decided it was best to just lay still. He wouldn't seriously knock her out; she wouldn't allow it. For a long while, she laid on her back and stared upward at the trees. In her peripherals, she could still see Caius standing by the water without even looking at her. Good; he didn't notice her eyes were open.

After a while, her eyes naturally fell shut and exhaustion took over.

Like Caius said, the next day was one day closer to Etro. For that reason, she needed to be as strong as possible.

"Lightning."

Her eyebrows furrowed at the name, a short grunt leaving her lips to show that she heard whoever spoke to her. Though her mind was confused, she realized that she was lying on the ground and it was wet. The morning dew had set in. _Morning, already? Did I get any sleep at all?_ she wondered. It certainly didn't feel like it.

"What hour is it?" she murmured to Caius, slowing sitting up and opening her eyes. It was definitely morning; the sun was shining through the trees now. The forest was a much more pleasant place during the day than at night, that was for sure. Less threatening.

"Approximately eight," Caius responded from beside Lightning.

"Wow, you let me sleep in that late?" Lightning blurted in surprise. She had expected Caius to only allow her two or three hours of sleep, but he gave her closer to five. Maybe Caius had a bit of kindness within him after all.

"I can't have you collapsing on me because of lack of sleep," he said dryly, destroying Lightning's thoughts that Caius was actually a decent human being. Until he opened his mouth again. "Besides, I did not realize the toll of opening the rifts. You were truly knocked out."

"Oh…Okay," she said with a small nod, confused. One moment Caius seemed to have compassion, the next he didn't. He was truly confounding.

"Stop trying to analyze me," he growled as he once again read Lightning's mind. "You do not need to know my way of thinking."

The growl caught her off guard. First off, how could he read her so easily? Secondly, why did he seem so threatened by the idea of her figuring him out? Was he hiding something else? Was he truly on her side? "Actually," she started as she shook her head. "I **do **need to know your way of thinking. We're allies now, remember? Stuck travelling together, stuck trusting each other. If you want us to have a chance against Etro, we need to trust each other."

"And you do not trust me?"

"Not completely, no. Especially when you imply that there's more to you than meets the eye."

"Hmph," Caius hummed with a bitter smirk. "So, you believe I have another scheme in my head? One that will put you in danger?"

"Maybe."

"If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you in your sleep."

"I'm not saying that you want me dead."

"Then what are you saying, soldier?"

"Don't call me that," Lightning ordered.

"Why? Because that's what you are? A soldier, who always follows the orders of others but never creates their own destiny? You're more of a slave than anything else."

"Stop," she growled, glaring at him as she turned to face him completely. He was two feet in front of her, really close as he stared down at her. His expression was amused but also harsh and biting. He was receiving pleasure from this, without a doubt. Why did he have to be such a jackass?

He did not stop. "First you were a slave of the government," he stated without looking away. "Then a slave of destiny. And lastly, the slave of Etro. You're never free, not even now. Now you're simply a slave working under the orders of your grief."

Lightning's sword was out before she could stop herself. Within mere seconds, she had it fully extended and across Caius's neck. He, however, was not completely defenseless either. He shoved her back a few steps, his arm against her neck as he kept her back pressed against the tree.

"Losing your temper, huh soldier?" he asked lowly. "Now you're slave to your anger. Fortunately for you, you have plenty of chances to be slave to your anger in the future. Save it for the battles and for Etro. As you stated, we are allies."

"You're the one always picking fights and causing suspicion," she spat, lifting her free hand and setting it on Caius's against her neck. He was barely pressing down, so he wasn't hurting her. This was just a way of toying with her.

"No, you have a much bigger hand in it than that," he said as he stared into her blue eyes. "You are thinking about things other than the battle."

"It's all connected," she argued. "I'm trying to figure you out because we need to fight together. In the end, it's all about that battle and revenge against Etro. The question is, what's it about for you, Caius? Is it really about Yeul or is this a way to get revenge against me for standing in your way?"

"I have told you multiple times that I am after Etro," Caius said irritably. "You are the one who keeps seeing deeper things because that is what you want to see."

"I was raised as a soldier. I know when I'm fabricating things and when I'm not," she responded confidently. "I'm not imagining what I see in you."

"And what do you see?"

"Secrets. You're hiding something from me."

"I am hiding **myself **from you. You do not need to know me." Slowly, he took his arm away from her neck. She still kept her blade against his neck without wavering. "All that you need to know is that I am a skilled warrior and will not be content until Etro is defeated."

_Not good enough,_ Lightning wanted to say, but she bit her tongue instead. Caius wouldn't listen to reason. So she would just need to study him with more caution until she got a better idea of what it was he was hiding from her. Her blade returned to her pack as she stared up at Caius Ballad. _Fine,_ her glare said. _You done antagonizing me now? After all, every minute we waist here is another minute between us and Etro._

Caius chuckled. "Like I said, hold onto that anger," he said. "It will work well against Etro."

"Don't tell me what to do," she muttered.

He ignored her on purpose. That alone was an order to her. _Create the portal, it's time to go._ She walked a few steps away, lifting a hand to her pink hair as she tried to do just that. Did she dare desire to save her friends again? She still wanted that, but was that path going to lead her and Caius on more dangerous missions? They still had their original goal, and that was defeating Etro.

But now Lightning had a new goal. In order to reach the final goal of killing the goddess, she would need to find out more about Caius. She didn't have personal interest in his character; she just wanted to know if she could trust his word or not. _So then, _she decided. _What I want right now, more than anything, is to figure Caius out._

A rift appeared to her right when the goal was decided.

"Good," Caius said, ignorant of her motivation. "Let's go."

The two of them entered the Historia Crux together. Within just a minute, there was a rift open to their left. Curious of what awaited on the other side, Lightning went through first with Caius right behind her. The world that she saw on the other side was very surprising to her.

And apparently it was surprising to Caius as well. "What?" he grunted as he stood beside her.

Though Lightning didn't look at any time period not concerning Serah too much, she recognized this place. The ground was covered with lush green grass, with the sun shining radiantly over them as they stood within a valley. The hills were green and so were the trees, but there wasn't much sign of civilization. Except for atop one of the nearby mountains. Squinting her eyes, she believed that she saw some kind of building atop it.

What did this have to do with getting to know Caius better?

"Caius," Lightning started, turning to face him. "What year is it? Where is this?"

"It appears to be 620 AF, outside of New Paddra," he responded tensely.

_New Paddra? Oh yeah…I remember now._ New Paddra was formed over a thousand years after the old Paddra was abandoned. By this point, most of the Farseers had died. Along with the rest of humanity. But if this place was connected to the Farseers, then it was definitely connected to Caius. That was why they had appeared here. Hopefully he wouldn't pick up on that.

"Okay, New Paddra 620 AF," she said in recovery to her thoughts. "Anything happen during this year?"

"Not of historical significance."

She noticed how he used the word "historical". But he didn't say that nothing personal happened here. "Well, let's go look for something significant then," she suggested. "I want to check out that building up there. Is there any other civilization that you can go explore?"

"You wish to separate?" he asked with suspicion.

"I wish to figure out what the heck we're doing here," Lightning said smoothly. "If there's no imminent danger like dragons, then it should be safe to split up."

"Or you wish to split up because you do not trust me."

"Not true."

"You'll have to prove it to me," he responded with equal smoothness. "Because I'm coming with you."

"Fine," she snapped. "Do what you want, let's just go."

The two of them started towards the mountain wordlessly, the air very tense even if the weather was pleasant and the air was fresh. Caius didn't suspect anything, not yet. But he was extremely on guard. Was she at least on the right track though? He was allowing her to go to this place after all, so maybe this place didn't have any significance. Then again, he wouldn't let her go alone, so that had to be something. He was afraid of what she could find in this place. This **had **to have some kind of deep dark secret of Caius's.

The two of them climbed the mountain for what felt like hours. It must have been about that, considering how the sun moved in the sky as they climbed. For lunch, they managed to kill a medium-sized monster and cook it over a fire. So by the time that they finally made it to the top, it was evening.

Standing right in front of the large building now, Lightning could see clearly what type of building it was. It was made of a sandy brown rock, stacked tall in multiple stories of rectangles with each story a smaller than the other. No vegetation grew around it, and since there was no large water source nearby, Lightning assumed that the society didn't actually live in this place. They just commuted to it.

"This looks like a temple…" she guessed, starting forward. Caius was oddly silent as he followed behind her. This must have been a fairly primitive society, since it wasn't technological at all. Yet it was the year 620. In 500, the level of the technology was astounding. What happened to make society more tribal like this again, so…primitive?

"Can you tell me anything about this time?" Lightning prodded as they neared the entrance.

"No. But be on guard. The temple has booby traps. It's best we stay together; I know how to avoid them."

"Oh really?" she asked with an arched brow. She didn't believe him. Not for a second. "Booby traps in a temple? That seems odd, don't you think Caius? And why are you so emphatic on staying together?"

"Why are you picking a fight?"

"Why aren't **you **answering my questions?" Something was definitely up here. Caius was, yet again, hiding something from her. Still he didn't respond. Only this time, he didn't dodge the question. He simply stayed silent. "Fine," she said after a few moments of glaring at him. "Let's just go."

The two of them started ahead, down the dark corridor of the temple. It was a straight path, free from any obstacles like ropes that she could trip on and trigger a trap. Maybe Caius was lying about the booby traps as an attempt to get her uninterested in the temple. _He should know better than that,_ Lightning tsked, turning right and starting down another corridor. Sunlight poured in from a small slit in the wall, making things clear enough for her to judge the area. _Threats never stopped me from proceeding ahead before._

One of the stones in the floor sank an inch deeper into the ground when Lighting stepped on it. What? she thought curiously, looking down at that foot. There was no time to study it though.

"Lightning!" Caius hollered, at the same time taking action. Since he was behind her, he jumped forward a small step and tackled Lightning, covering her head with his hands as booby trap went off. Arrows shot over their bodies, piercing the wall to their left with deathly speed. The attack was so strong that the arrows even pierced the stone. _Wow, that was a close one,_ Lightning thought, turning her head ever so slightly to see what had nearly happened. Caius just saved her.

"I warned you that there were going to be traps," Caius said lowly, taking his hands off of Lightning's head as he rose to his feet and got off of her.

"Thanks," Lightning said as she slowly rose to her feet. For the first time, her gratitude wasn't sarcastic. It was real. After all, she would have been a goner if Caius hadn't reacted quickly and gotten her down to the ground. The execution of that tackle was a little rough, but the fact that he covered her head when he didn't have to…It was as sincere as Lightning's thanks._ You're truly confounding, Caius. _

Caius stared at Lightning for a moment, not directly responding to her gratitude. But something in his eyes responded to it in a way that Lightning couldn't decipher. "I'll take the lead," he said after a few moments.

"Right," she nodded, watching Caius walk past her. Instead of dwelling on her thoughts, she stayed about three feet behind him and followed his footsteps with caution. The last thing that she wanted was to step on another tile and send more arrows flying in their direction.

And for a while of walking down different halls, nothing else happened. Caius gave her warnings not to step in certain places or touch the walls, but things were peaceful otherwise. And not for a second did she doubt his leading. She didn't suspect him of leading her into a worse trap than the arrows. Just the fact that he took such care in saving her from the arrows made her trust in him significantly increase.

The two turned into yet another corridor, this one extremely brightly lit by torches that were lit on the walls. Apparently somebody was in here recently.

Both of them seemed surprised by this, but Caius was the one who paid for it. He stepped onto a clearly different tile on the ground and a cracking noise was heard immediately. Caius only had time to turn around and glance at Lightning before the tile completely broke beneath him and he was sent into the dark abyss below.

"Caius!" Lightning hollered down, heart suddenly pounding with concern. With all the warning of traps, he failed to avoid one himself. Should she go down and search for him?

Before she had the chance to jump, another floor board slid out from underneath another and blocked the hole.

"…Right," she muttered, shifting her gaze to the path ahead. There was a room at the very end of it, with an item sitting on the pedestal. All that she could do now was keep pressing forward. Maybe that item would give her some assistance in finding Caius later.

She silently started towards it as she avoided stepping on suspicious floor tiles. No trouble hindered her as she stopped right in front of the pedestal. The item was a round sphere that would fit in her hand, and it was glowing with a faint blue aura.

Though curiosity killed the cat, Lightning dared to reach out and touch the item with her fingertips.

The moment her fingers touched the sphere, the air changed. The room grew dark as the torches all went out simultaneously. The only light now came from the sphere and the light blue aura that was hanging above it. Squinting her eyes, Lighting noticed something taking form in the mist. Much like an Oracle Drive, some kind of footage was recorded in this device. Only this was not a prophecy. It was a memory.

The memory took place in this very room. Kneeling in the sunlight, a girl of about 20 years old knelt down in the center of the room. Her short blond hair was ruffled, but her clothes were organized. They were the clothing of a warrior, thick green armor that covered her legs and torso. Her arms were bare except for the gloves that reached halfway up her forearm. It was not her wardrobe that caught Lightning's attention, though.

The tears that were streaming down her face were what caught Lightning's eyes. _"Please," the young woman pleaded, moist green eyes looking up towards the sunlight that poured in through a hole in the roof. "Please, reconsider. She doesn't deserve to die. She's the best person out there! She's the hope of all of us just with her heart, but you've cursed her to die. Please…Please save her. Etro, please."_

_Etro. That was who the young woman was pleading to. And the person she was pleading for was cursed by Etro…Could she be referring to Yeul? _

_There was no need to consider that or wait for the goddess's response. A loud bang resounded from outside the temple. The girl jumped, rising to her feet before sprinting down the path towards the exit. She did take the time to wipe her tears as she ran. As a fellow warrior, Lightning noticed how light she was on her feet, how quick she was, and how graceful she was rounding the corners. Despite the tears that she shed a few moments ago, she was a true warrior. _

_As soon as she was outside, she saw something that made her gasp. A Long Gui was stopping its way towards the village! And all the other warriors were out disbanding a threat in the west! Her only choice was to try and face the Long Gui by herself before it reached the village and destroyed everything they worked so hard to build. _

_The warrioress ran forward, leaping off the edge of the elevated building and flying a good distance before she landed on the Long Gui's back. She pulled her bow and arrow off her back and shot arrows into the back of its neck, forcing the creature to cry out in agony. If that noise didn't let the town know that something was wrong, then they would know it now. _

_Long Gui maneuvered more quickly than he should have been, forcing the girl off his back and onto the ground. She grunted roughly from the long fall, rolling over as she discharged more arrows at the monster's neck. If he got to town, it was all over. Failure wasn't an option here. _

_Yet the creature took one more mighty step towards town and the whole ground trembled. The shockwave was enough to send her back down to one knee and nearly drop her weapons. _No…_ she thought weakly, glaring up at the huge beast. There was no way she could do this on her own…_

"_**Averia**__!" _

_Her head turned sharply to the left to see who had called to her. Much to Lightning's shock, she recognized this person. _

_A younger Caius stood fifty yards away, but even at that distance, Lightning could see his different appearance. His purple hair was parted the same way put it was only to his shoulders. And instead of armor, he wore a set of black tribal clothes. _

_Most importantly, instead of wearing his arrogant facial expression, he wore one of fear. _

In shock, Lightning withdrew her fingers from the orb. The vision faded. What was that whole thing? Who was the woman and what did Caius have to do with her?

Before she could go anywhere to find answers, she found herself stuck in her current position. A knife was suddenly against her back, the sharp tip in her lower back to show the threat. She grunted, tensing at the weapon in her back and the voice that she did not recognize speaking to her.

"Don't move."

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Cliffhanger. :P Yes, I realize I'm updating two days early. You wanna know why? IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! And you know what would make me happy? Reviews ;3. Yup, I'm 20 years old today. Sort of hard to believe, at least to me. **

**Personal stuff: **

**Nirianne: I believe that I said in chapter 3 that Caius can't create the rifts. The reason is that what he desire more than anything else in the world is for Yeul to be alive. He can't overcome that desire and no rift can be created for that desire since there's absolutely no way to save Yeul. So as long as he's where he is mentally, he can't create the rifts. **

**Hanah Abby: I didn't mind it at all, so don't feel stupid! I love having readers that actually analyze my work so much and leave constructive criticism. So as long as you do it politely, please continue to be "stupid" :P **

**Alright guys, I'm gonna go do something exciting with the rest of my birthday. Like homework! :( Yeah, the life of a college student. But if I'm lucky, I'll have some time to write tonight as well. One can only dream!**

**Peanut out. **


	7. Chapter 7: Hostage

Chapter Seven: Hostage

Lightning never did like being at the mercy of others. That was why she always tried to take control of a situation herself instead of allowing others to manipulate her. Manipulation was too big in her history for her to ignore, not that she wanted to. If she ignored it, it would be easier for her to be controlled.

Just like how she ignored her surroundings when touching the orb in the temple and didn't hear the person sneak up behind her. Now they had full control of her.

The village that they led her into while keeping her at the tip of their weapon was a fair distance away from the temple. The grass was no longer green; instead it was a dull brown that showed rainfall was rare. The trees hardly provided any shade and the huts weren't sophisticated in any way. These were either nomads who travelled a lot or they were really deprived. Unfortunately, Lightning believed it was the second. The temple couldn't be moved, and if they found her there, they had some connection to it. They refused to leave this land because the temple was here.

Her captor shoved her down to the ground by the tree, forcing her to grunt. "Easy," she snapped, turning her head and finally glaring at the person who had previously been behind her. Though the weapon was no longer in her back, there was nothing she could do now. Her hands were tied with rope and she wasn't able to work her way out of them. For now, she was at their mercy. "What did I ever do to you?"

The man with bushy brown hair only glared at her in return, bending down and reaching into the red pouch that was on her leg. "Hey!" she cried again, tone biting. He was withdrawing all of her potions!

Lightning was so fixated on him that she didn't notice a person approaching from her right until their shadow was covering her. By then it was too late to block what was coming. A slap to the face forced Lightning to turn her head sharply in the other direction and squeeze her eyes shut in both fury and pain.

"Be quiet," that man ordered lowly. "We're willing to show compassion if you're willing to cooperate."

"You're stealing from me, for now reason," Lightning said as she glared at the black-haired man who was very well built and kneeling down beside her.

"You intruded on a sacred place. You shall pay the price in blood and be subject to the inquiries of our head."

Before Lightning could respond, she heard the sound of quiet footsteps to her other side. Thinking it was another threat, she turned her head quickly to see what it was. It wasn't a threat specifically, but it did manage to make her heart drop.

"Caius."

Caius was walking in with a sword in his back as well, and his hands tied behind his back. Even worse, one of his two captors was holding onto his weapon. He was defenseless. Somehow, Lightning had been hoping that Caius wasn't caught and he could get her out of this mess. It didn't matter though; she would find a way out of this and make these people pay for sneaking up on her. It was their funeral, not hers.

"So, you know him," the man said with a slight smirk. Lightning's eyes narrowed when Caius was being toyed with like she was, his bounds being undone and then redone so that he was tied with his hands behind the tree. He was in an even worse position than her, since she was just shoved down to the ground. It was definitely up to her to save the day. "You're associated with Caius Ballad. Do you realize how badly that makes you look?"

"Why, what'd he do?" Lightning asked her captor, turning her head and looking at him again with narrowed eyes.

"That girl in the memory that you saw," her first captor answered, "was named Averia. And she was killed by Caius."

_I don't believe that for a second,_ she thought as she furrowed her eyebrows. In the memory, Caius looked terrified for Averia's safety against the monster. He didn't kill her. "What about Long Gui?"

"Averia fought against Long Gui and managed to defeat him, but she was severely weakened. That was when Caius finished her off. We arrived at the scene as it happened."

"You're lying," Caius growled. His interruption resulted in him receiving a punch to the jaw. For a split second Lightning felt anger for the sake of Caius.

"But now, we're going to ask you the questions," a new voice said. Directly in front of her, a tall, built man was walking into the center of the area. His clothes were the same as everyone else's, but his hair was pulled back in a long ponytail. The air around him told her that this was the chief of the village. "Who are you, and why are you travelling with Caius Ballad?"

"It'd be much easier to answer your questions if I wasn't bound," Lightning dared to say coolly. The brunet beside her kicked her arm roughly, shoving her down onto her side. She grunted, eyes narrowing as she glared over at him. _Well, it was worth a shot. _

"You'll need to bear with us and do things our way," the chief declared. "You are at our mercy, not the other way around. I am a kinder man than the rest of my tribe, so unless you want my kindness to run out, I suggest you start speaking plainly with me."

Whether he was kinder or not, Lightning had to take him for his word. Maybe if she fed them some story, they could let her go. "My name is Lightning," she said as she slowly pushed herself back up so she was sitting."

"Lightning, yeah right," one man scoffed.

"What's your last name, Lightning?" the chief asked as if he believed that was her name.

"Highwind," she lied. _Why on earth did I just say that?_ Lightning thought in silence, surprised with herself. Then she understood it: Lightning Farron was an important figure in history, most likely. She was the l'cie who saved Cocoon. If she gave them her real name, then they could either disbelieve her completely or believe her wholeheartedly and they could cause a huge paradox.

"Okay, Lightning Highwind," the man continued with a nod. "I assume you were named after the Lightning who saved Cocoon so many years ago?"

_So, my logic was dead on then,_ she thought with relief. That was a great move on her part, even if it was just instinct. "Yes," she said with a small nod. "I was."

"Why are you travelling with someone so wretched when you're named after such a great hero?" he asked with disappointment in his tone.

"Only because we share a common enemy right now," she answered honestly. "He was the only one who could fight with me."

"Who is your enemy?"

Lightning bit her tongue. "…That's too much to tell you right now," she said. "If I told you, it could compromise everything."

The chief stared at her for a few moments, studied her authenticity. Though Lightning was truly being sincere right now, she was a very convincing liar. She had to be for her past career in the Guardian Corps. Lying and sucking up was a big part of being a success. And since she was so bad at sucking up, lying and pretending to like people was what Lightning did to ensure her success.

"Fine," he said after a few moments. "Just one more question. How do you feel about the gods?"

That was such a random question. Yet it must have been important if they brought it up. What was the right way to answer, though? Before she could stop herself, she shifted her gaze to Caius in hopes of getting some kind of hint. Yet his expression gave away nothing. It was stupid to even think he could help; what was he even supposed to do?

She decided to be honest. "I hate the gods," she said lowly. "All of them."

"Even the goddess Etro?" the chief asked with a stoic expression.

"Especially Etro."

"I see," he said with a nod.

On cue, a man knelt down beside Lightning and cut off the ropes that were binding her wrists. At first she was startled, but then she realized that she was being freed. _Thank goodness, _she thought in relief. _I said the right thing. _She was free. Next she had to find a way to get Caius out of his bonds.

But she wasn't out of the woods just yet. Suddenly the two men beside her yanked up her arms and dragged her to her feet. "What?" she grunted, eyes narrowing as she looked back to the chief. What was going on? She thought she was alright!

"Those who are against the goddess are against us," he said with an unkind expression. "And they must be killed."

Killed. That was the fate that Lightning was going to face. Unless she struggled back. She yanked one of her wrists free before it was to be tied. She elbowed the man on her right in the face, knocking him away with one rough blow. Then she reached for her weapon, only to grasp for air. The man on her other side had already taken it out of the bag so that she couldn't have it.

Oh well, she wasn't completely incompetent without a weapon. When she went to take a swing at him, he ducked to miss her. He didn't even try to attack her, because he didn't need to.

Lightning cried out suddenly when she felt something pierce her lower torso. It went in so deep and at such a great speed that it pierced her to the tree. Looking down, she saw that it was an arrow. One that was very familiar to her.

Glancing up with pain filled eyes, she saw that the chief was the one holding the bow and arrow set that Lightning had seen in the recorded memory. "That's Averia's bow," she said weakly.

"Averia was my wife," he said evenly. "She was the sister of the seeress Yeul. And she died trying to save the village, but was ultimately killed by the one who came to protect Yeul later. Caius Ballad."

"I did not kill your wife, Corin" Caius said with some bite.

"Lies!" Chief Corin cried. "You did, and the proof is in the memories that we were able to recover from Averia. I do not doubt my wife. And besides, you became the Guardian of Yeul, and afterwards, Yeul disappeared from history."

"What?"

"We can't even remember the day that Yeul disappeared from our midst," Corin said in sorrow. "All of it is like a distant dream. But we know it occurred, and we know that only you could cause this to happen. So you will pay, Caius. You and your companion will die."

While this whole squabble went on, Lightning's wrists were retied with her arms above her head and over a thick tree branch so that she was fighting to stay on her feet. Of course, the arrow in her stomach was helping her stay put since it also pierced the tree. The blood was seen against her tan coat, seeping out and creating a nasty stain. Worse than that, she was feeling dizzy from it.

"Everyone but Rufus come with me and set up the execution area," Corin declared, putting away the bow and arrow in silence.

Just like that, everyone but one left the scene. Rufus walked a few feet away from Lightning as he held onto her gunblade, staring at it with curiosity. It was so nonchalant; he was studying her gunblade while Lightning was dying.

"If you want her alive for the execution, you'll need to dislodge that arrow and mend it so she doesn't bleed to death," Caius said from his spot.

"If she dies here, that makes our jobs much easier," Rufus responded smoothly. "We'll only have one enemy of Etro to execute."

Just like that, the conversation stopped. Rufus went back to studying the gunblade and Caius went back to staring at Lightning with concern. She tried to ignore his eyes boring on her, closing her eyes as she tried to come up with a plan. Her weapon was in the hands of the enemy and she was pierced to a tree by an arrow. And her hands were tied above her head…

First she needed to get free of the tree. Then untie herself, then get her weapon back. She knew how she could get free of the tree, but it was going to be painful and call attention to herself. If she could knock out the captor along with that, then she'd be alright. She just needed to work quickly in order to finish this before the rest of the people came back to take her away to kill her. Once they were on top of her, she wouldn't stand a chance against them.

_Okay. I can do this. _Lightning opened her eyes, seeing that Rufus was still studying the gunblade. "If you're so curious about it, I could show you how to use it," she said to him.

Rufus scoffed. "As if you'd show me anything. You're trying to trick me."

"What can I possibly do?" Lightning asked with a bitter laugh. "In case you didn't notice, I'm pinned to a tree and bleeding severely. I'm going to be killed in what, ten minutes?"

"Hmph. More like five," he said with a smirk, giving Lightning valuable information.

"So there you go. I've got no chance, even if this is a big misunderstanding. The least I can do is show you how to use the gunblade so that the knowledge doesn't die with me. It's the last gunblade that exists."

"T-this is a gunblade?" Rufus asked in awe. "But it looks like just a gun to me…"

"There's a button you push for it to extend," she explained. "Step closer so I can see it; I'm so used to using it that I'm not sure exactly how to explain it to you."

Idiotically, Rufus took the bait. Either Lightning was a more convincing liar than she thought (which said something since she was very confident in her skills already) or Rufus wasn't as smart as he first appeared to me. He stood right in front of Lightning, holding the weapon about half a foot in front of him so that Lightning could look at it. Of course, she had intention of showing him anything.

"Well?" he inquired with an arched brow.

"The button is down near the handle," she lied.

Rufus's eyes left her. That was when she took action. She gripped the branch above her head and lefted her feet off the ground, pressing them against the tree. Gritting her teeth, she pushed off the tree and felt the arrow get ripped out of the tree. A loud cry of pain left her lips, retrieving Rufus's attention. But it was too late for him.

She lifted a leg and kicked him under the jaw, the force behind it enough to knock him onto his back. The fact that he was dead weight when he fell and he dropped the weapon told her that she managed to knock him out.

Panting a breath in pain, Lightning slowly swung up her legs so that they were up by her hands, hanging over the tree branch. She managed to reach inside her right boot and pull out the weapon that she had hidden in there: the knife that Serah had given her on her twenty-first birthday. A practical gift to be sure.

"We only have a minute before they appear," she said weakly to Caius, opening up the knife as she started sawing at the ropes that bound her wrists to the tree branch.

"I can do the majority of the fighting. You shouldn't move much with that arrow still in you," Caius said from his spot at the tree.

"Right," she agreed, finishing cutting the ropes. She was free. She dropped her legs and released the branch, landing smoothly on her feet. Right by then, her weapon laid on the ground. She slipped it back into her brown bag before she ran over to Caius, standing behind him and the tree as she used Serah's knife to cut through his ropes. It was much easier than doing her own bonds for obvious reasons.

Caius took his wrists back when he was free, nodding his thanks to Lightning. Fortunately for him, his weapon was stabbed into the ground only a few feet away. He walked over and pulled it out easily, putting it on his back before turning back to Lightning. His eyes landed on the arrow that was still in her stomach and the bleeding wound.

There wasn't too much time for him to stare. Sudden shouts of dismay and anger came from down the road. "Lightning, run!" Caius ordered, maneuvering himself so that he was standing between her and the rest of the men.

Though she hated running, she nodded. "Meet at the temple!" she said before she turned and jogged away. She was certain that Caius would hold them off for a while to give her enough time to get somewhere where they could meet up and she could create a rift to escape from. Why she said to meet at the temple may have seemed random at first, but she had something she wanted to retrieve at that place: the orb with Averia's memories. Though she did believe that Caius was innocent, she wanted to know the truth and how Averia was connected to him. Finding out more information about him was why they came here in the first place after all.

Sounds of battle sounded behind Lightning as she kept a decent pace, the arrow still in her stomach as she ran. Blood dripped on the path behind her, leaving a trail of where she was going. It couldn't be helped now. She had to make it to the temple before she lost too much blood and passed out. Each step she took was more dizzying than the last. Each breath more shallow and filled with pain. The temple was on a hilltop, so climbing that was even more toiling.

She reached the top and collapsed on her side, panting breaths as she tried to hold onto consciousness. "Caius, please hurry," Lightning whispered in the air. She wasn't doing well.

Slowly, she picked herself up and started jogging into the temple. She didn't even worry about the booby traps too much as she stayed away from the walls and didn't jump on any suspicious tiles. Miraculously, she made it to the orb. She stuffed it into her pouch before she ran back the way that she came, managing to make it outside just in time to see Caius running up the stairs.

"What are you doing?" he panted angrily, again looking down at the wound that was more covered in blood than earlier.

"Getting a souvenir," she said as lightly as she could, stumbling a step before she fell down to her knees.

The sound of harsh footsteps sounded as the men from the village ran up the stairs to meet up with them. "You didn't defeat them?" she asked, looking up at him and noticing for the first time that he had some blood on his cheek.

"I couldn't finish them. Things are going to get complicated," he said as he held his weapon tightly in his hand and faced the stairs once again. "Create the Rift. Time is short."

"Okay."

What did she want more than anything else? She didn't want to go to her friends when she was in a wounded state; they would become nervous wrecks. She didn't want to travel anywhere connected with Caius because that was what she did this time and they got into a ton of trouble. _All that I want is somewhere safe to go, _she thought, glaring down at the arrow in her torso._ Please, somewhere safe where we can talk…_

Lightning heard the rift appear behind her within seconds. "Caius," she called, slowly rising to her feet.

He turned around, glancing over his shoulder as the men just reached the top of the stairs. Corin was right in front, with an arrow loaded on his bow as he took aim. Caius didn't hesitate gripping Lightning's arm tightly and swinging her into the portal before he ran into it himself. The two of them just managed to escape the arrow that was flying at them and leave that place.

They weren't even in the Historia Crux for a second when they flew into another rift and toppled out in another location. Lightning managed to land on her side while Caius landed on his stomach right beside her. The warm air of this area greeted her, as did the sound of waves rolling just a few feet in front of her.

They arrived in New Bodhum in the same year that they had been in New Paddra. That was why they arrived so quickly; they only travelled to a new location, not a new time. Thankfully, the town of New Bodhum was abandoned now. But there was still the ocean rolling in with the salt water that both Lightning and Caius believed would sooth her wounds.

"Don't fall unconscious," Caius said lowly as he carefully brought Lightning to her knees. "You lose consciousness and it'll be hard to come back with how much blood you've lost."

"We need to take out the arrow," she said, looking over at Caius and seeing him begin to blur in her sight. "Quickly."

"Give me the knife."

Lightning obliged, handing it over and listening to Caius speak as he cautiously set a hand on her upper back. "I'm going to saw off the tip of it," he explained as he began. "Then we'll need to pull from the front to get it out. The salt water of the ocean can work as a disinfectant. Believe it or not, I don't know any immediate Cure spells; only Regen. So if you manage to stay awake for a little while, things will begin to get better."

She nodded silently as she felt the tip be sawed off completely by Caius. He moved to be in front of her, setting the knife on the ground as he lifted his gaze to her face. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Again she nodded. "Get it over with," she said through her teeth, clamping her eyes shut as she prepared for a world of pain. Yanking out the arrow would be agonizing, but there was no choice in the matter. She was just lucky that it hadn't hit any major organs…But she supposed that was the point. Corin hadn't been shooting to kill.

A second passed without Caius doing anything. Then he suddenly grasped the edge and yanked it out quickly so not to prolong her suffering. Lightning screamed in pain, though she bit off her lip to hush it after a second. Dizziness overtook her for a second as she started to fall forward.

Only Caius was still there to catch her. His hands found her upper arms as he kept her upright so she wouldn't fall into him completely or onto her face on the ground. "Stay," he said lowly, his voice not harsh in any way. "Stay conscious, Lightning. The worst is over."

Not able to find words to respond, Lightning found herself nodding again. "Take off my cape," she said hoarsely. "And soak it in ocean water. We can wrap that around me to slow the flow of blood and stop infection while Regen begins to work."

"Regen should be cast first," he argued.

"No," she disagreed. "You cast that and the skin on the surface will start to heal first. Then if I have an infection, it's already in my system. Ocean water first."

"As you wish," Caius said after a few moments. He slowly released Lightning and allowed her to go back and sit on her legs since she was on her knees. Her balance remained as he moved to her side, unclasped the cape, and then walked to the ocean to get it wet.

_It'll be alright,_ Lightning thought silently, focusing on just staying still and waiting for Caius instead of the weakness and the pain. Like Caius said to her, the worst was over. They were away from danger and the arrow was out. Very soon things would get better. And once they were, she could speak to Caius. Maybe they could have a conversation without snapping at each other…

Something changed between them. It was between when they entered that time and sometime during the confrontation with the villagers. Lightning had believed that Caius was innocent of killing Averia even when the evidence pointed towards him. She was strong, broke herself free, and freed him from his bonds. And Caius…He held off the villagers to allow her to run away to safety. He threw her through the rift first to protect her. And now he was helping her take care of the wound.

They found respect and trust in each other's abilities and hearts. Neither of them would abandon their comrade for a second or believe ill of them just because somebody else did.

Things changed.

*…*….*…*…*…*

**Figured I'd go ahead and update today. Why not, right? ;3 Well, I hope that you guys enjoyed the chapter! Drop off reviews (like I know you well—you guys are seriously the best readers I've ever had!) and have a good day! **

**And the personal stuff: **

**Darkis0777- Nope, I haven't seen a single Indiana Jones movie in my life. xD**

**Naivette- My only response to Lightning allowing Gadot to punch her is because she is that grieved. We haven't seen her lose Serah in the games, but I think that if she did lose her, she'd be swallowed by grief enough to accept the punch. And I called chapter 5 "Lightning's Redemption" because she redeemed herself in battle. The role reversal was intentional. xD**

**Riku91- "Averia was supposed to be Lightning's name!" Yup, and it's such a pretty name! I wanted to pay tribute to that, but that's it. xD Averia and Lightning aren't related or the same person at all. **

**Hannah Abby- I'm sure you'll be fine with the stupidness. xD **

**Shigeki-Hizashi- Don't worry, I won't abandon the story! I couldn't live with myself if I didn't see this through. **

**Davewik- "I like your simple, readable style." Thanks! I know what you mean about people getting really poetic and all that; I'd rather keep it simple, in character, and clear than show off big vocabulary or overly poetic dramatic writing. **

**And to everyone else: thanks for the birthday wishes! You all made me feel really special. :) **

**Until next time! Peanut's out. **


	8. Chapter 8: Understanding

Chapter Eight: Understanding

Lightning propped herself against a tree, grunting as she leaned her back against it. She had moved to sit in the shade once Caius returned with her cape soaked in ocean water. Knowing that the saltwater would disinfect her wound, she had wrapped it around her stomach and kept it there for a few minutes before Caius cast Regen on her so that the wound would slowly heal.

The worst was over. Now she just needed to stay conscious a little bit longer.

"You need to stay coherent, Lightning," Caius said as he sat down beside her. "Speak to me."

"About what?" she asked softly as she shut her eyes and also leaned the back of her head against the trunk of the tree.

"Let's start with what happened after I fell for that trap."

What exactly **did **happen? Lightning was having trouble putting it all in a logical fashion when she was so lightheaded from blood loss. In fact, she felt so terrible that she felt like begging Caius to just let her pass out. That was the weakness talking, and Lightning didn't have much weakness in her spirit. She just needed some time to compose herself, but she wouldn't get it. She and Caius both knew that it wouldn't be good for her to pass out when she was in such poor condition.

"Lightning," Caius prompted.

"The floor tile cracked beneath you and you fell," she mumbled, recalling it all. "I was questioning about whether or not to follow when the way down closed. I had no choice but to press on." She opened her eyes partway and looked over at Caius. "What happened to you anyway?"

"I'll answer that later," he said as he faintly shook his head. "I need you to keep talking to stay alert."

_Understandable,_ Lightning thought as she nodded faintly. "I walked on ahead and saw a blue orb sitting on the pedestal. I touched it and memories of Averia appeared. First she was praying that Etro would spare someone—probably Yeul—from her curse. Then she ran outside and fought Long Gui for a little while. Then you showed up. I took my hand away from the orb because I was surprised, so the memory faded. That was when Rufus snuck up on me and made me his captive."

The story took a good few minutes for Lightning to communicate, though it wasn't because of weakness entirely. On the contrary, the Regen spell was working nicely in making her feel better. She just had a hard time focusing completely on the story for that reason. But at least she didn't feel like she was going to faint now. The spell was making up for the blood loss.

"Continue speaking," Caius urged.

Lightning shook her head. "That's all I can think to say."

"Then think harder."

_What's your deal, Caius_? she thought angrily. _Why are you trying to tick me off again? I thought we had an understanding. "_No," she snapped, looking over at Caius with furrowed brows.

Instead of looking appalled that Lightning spoke back to him, he nodded faintly. "Good, Lightning," he said with the faintest of smiles tugging at his lips. "You're fighting back. Now I know that you're truly alright."

"That's why you were egging me on," she blurted, blinking in surprise. He was making her angry…to make sure that she was strong enough to fight back. It was twisted, but one of the most sincere things that she witnessed Caius do. When he only grunted in response, she knew it was best not to point out his caring again. "Okay, now that that's done, I want some answers," she said in recovery. "Who is Averia and what's your connection to her?"

"That's a question best answered if you have some background," Caius said as he shifted his gaze to the ocean before them. "First off, that memory that you saw was twenty years in the past—600 AF. I was twenty years old at the time, and a warrior of the tribe that was slowly losing its members. There were so many monsters infesting the area that many of the warriors went off to the west to fight them before they could strike the village. Only one warrior—Averia—remained in the village. And the Guardian of Yeul obviously remained as well."

"You said before that you became Yeul's Guardian in that year," Lightning recalled. Caius had shared that information to her and to her friends in Academia right after they were all reunited. He had mentioned nothing of Averia though.

"I became her Guardian later that year," he said, nodding. "But this occurred first. I was fighting with the other men in the west, but the monsters were too strong. I was ordered to go back to the village and warn them to run to safety. On my way, I ran into Averia. Averia was the older sister of Yeul. It was not often in history that Yeul was born with a sibling, because whenever she was, the siblings grew to care deeply for her. She was the light of all times, and siblings always wanted to save her from her fate. Averia always did, and that was why you saw her praying to the goddess Etro.

"I must confess…That I admired Averia even if she confounded me," Caius admitted as he shook his head. "She was much like you. Headstrong, stubborn, and strong. But within the last six months of her life, I noticed her get softer. Yeul's fate was unforgettable to her and she constantly went to the temple to pray. That day when she left the temple, she ran into Long Gui. And…Well, perhaps the rest is best seen in the orb you took."

Caius held out his hand for the orb that Lightning had stuffed into her pouch. "The memories in it are from Averia's perspective, aren't they?" Lightning asked as she lowered a hand into the bag and cautiously dug out the orb. It was still radiating with a faint blue light, but no memories appeared above it as she held it before her.

"To anybody who was not there, yes," Caius said, eyeing the orb. "But when I hold it in my hand, it will show what I recall from that day. It will add onto Averia's memories that are trapped within this." He shifted his gaze to Lightning then. "Lightning, the only reason that I am showing this to you is because you believed in me back in the village. Do not take this for granted."

"I won't," she said instantly, locking eyes with Caius. Because she and he were much alike with how they handled letting people in, she knew that this was a rare treat. He truly trusted her with whatever it was she was about to see from his memories. There was no way she was going to be an idiot and take advantage of that. It could ruin whatever fragile trust they built up back in the village.

After a few moments of gazing into her eyes, Caius nodded slightly. He outreached a hand and grasped the orb. He held it before him and Lightning, the glow brightening as things began to change. A mist appeared above the orb, light blue at first and foggy. But then, the images became more clear. The first thing that Lightning saw was that the battle with Long Gui was already over. And Averia was in bad shape, like Corin had told her she was when Caius finished her off.

But instead of finishing her off, Caius ran over to her and put an arm behind her back as he propped her up. _"Averia," Caius said lowly, eyes wider than usual when her neck was only supported by his arm and not her own strength. She was critically wounded and both of them were out of potions and magic. Averia, was going to…_

"_Caius," Averia said weakly, lifting her green eyes to the man who held her. Though her eyes showed pain, they were still masked so that she did not cry in front of him. "Listen…please…I need you to protect Yeul. I can't do it anymore."_

"_Yeul?" he asked in surprise. "She already has a Guardian."_

"_I know," she said hoarsely. "He's not fit to do the job. You're stronger than him. I know that you'll do what you need to do."_

"_What is it I need to do?" he asked as his eyes danced over her. She was losing her life quickly; there wasn't much time left. _

"_Save her…from the curse," she whispered. _

_He knew nothing of a curse. Though it was hard to imagine that Caius was ever ignorant to anything, he was at this point in his life. "What curse?" _

"_Etro…"she breathed, her body becoming limp in Caius's._

"_Averia?" he grunted, startled. He shook her faintly. There was no response. "__**Averia!**__" _

_After a few moments, he realized that she was gone. She died because of Long Gui, but her will would live on in Caius. He had to protect Yeul for the sake of Averia, the one warrior that he actually admired and got along with. He slowly picked her up off the ground and headed into the village, knowing that he would have to explain Averia's death to those who lingered in the village. _

_Averia was recently married to a man named Corin, and though he loved her deeply, her feelings were not returned in full. But because of his deep love for Averia, Caius was not looking forward to handing him the body. _

_But speaking to Yeul was going to be so much worse. _

_Caius entered the village and saw everyone gathered, waiting for him because Yeul foresaw his coming. When Caius handed over the body to Corin, he grasped his wife tightly in his arms and screamed in anguish. His sobs echoed throughout the entire village as he sank down to his knees and sobbed over his wife. He wasn't in any mindset to listen to what had happened. So, Caius turned his attention to the ten-year-old Yeul. _

_But Yeul…She already knew what happened. As Caius knelt down before the girl, she lifted a hand to his cheek and just smiled sadly. "I know," she said quietly, stroking his cheek comfortingly. Her eyes should have shown innocence, but for the first time, Caius noticed just how aged her eyes looked. It looked like she had seen far too much in her life, yet she was only ten years old. Yet she was still sad over her sister. _

"_I swore I would protect you," Caius said as he lowered his head._

"_I know," she repeated. _

"_That means I must kill your current Guardian."_

"_Yes," Yeul nodded. _

"_You are alright with this?"_

"_It is not my decision to make," Yeul said as she withdrew her hand. "I only watch the timeline. I do not have input in it."_

_That was the curse of the seeress Yeul, or so Caius thought. That was maybe the curse that Averia had referred to before her death. Yeul was cursed to watch the timeline but never make changes when something bad happened. Somehow, he would break her free of that curse. _

_Caius nodded faintly to Yeul before rising to his feet and leaving to go to his home. He had to train for the battle that was going to occur within the near future._

The misty blue aura faded as the memory came to an end. After a few seconds, the mist faded away as if it had never been there in the first place. Honestly, Lightning didn't know what to say to all of that. It made sense now…Caius honored the dying wishes of Averia and protected Yeul. When she died, he realized what the curse was. And then she was reborn and he had another chance to try and stop the curse.

"I wanted to protect her forever once I realized what her curse was," Caius said as he picked up where Lightning's train of logic left off. "It wasn't about Averia's wishes anymore. I grew to see Yeul for what she was. The light and hope of every single era. People looked up to her not just for her wisdom, but for the hope that she had in the future. Even if she died over and over…I wanted to protect her, and she wanted to live. Etro saw my will and I gained her heart so that I could protect Yeul forever. Only…I was cursed with seeing the timeline as well. I saw what Yeul saw all along: a future where all of mankind died."

Caius turned his head and looked over at Lightning with unreadable emotions swirling in his eyes. "I lost it. All of her suffering with the early deaths were for nothing if humanity was doomed to fail anyway. So, I set out to destroy the timeline."

"You set out to destroy it because you felt there was no hope for the future," Lightning said quietly, lifting her gaze to Caius after a few moments. "But…Why couldn't you use your powers to save it instead?"

"Because, whenever the timeline was changed, Yeul suffered unnecessary visions. It made her suffer more."

"I understand now…" she said, looking away from Caius. He was just trying to spare Yeul from the suffering that he had already seen so much of. Even if it was against her will and wishes to destroy time. Destroying it was the only hope that Caius had. Ironically, Yeul's only hope was to see a brighter future. None of this made Caius's actions right since he was sacrificing the deaths and sufferings of one for death for all the world. But she understood how he wanted to do everything he could to save Yeul. …He was dedicated; she had to respect that about him. Dedicated and disillusioned.

Lightning turned her head and looked over at Caius, her blue eyes showing that she really did sympathize with Caius and his plight. But even more than that, she sympathized with why he never shared too many details of what led up to him becoming Yeul's Guardian. And just how risky it was for him to share this information with her. "…Thank you, Caius," she said with a small nod. She was grateful that he shared this with her.

Caius Ballad nodded ever so slightly in return. "You should rest," he said after a few moments. "You must still be sapped from the blood loss."

"Yeah," she agreed. She really was exhausted. Losing blood didn't help, and neither did summoning the rifts. Like Caius pointed out the other night, it was exhausting to do that. It was nearly nighttime already so it was a good time for at least one of them to get to rest. She just hoped that this time, Caius wouldn't allow her to oversleep.

At first, she wasn't sure how to maneuver herself. But then she realized that her soaking wet cape was still wrapped around her waist. That was going to be uncomfortable to sleep in. She slowly unknotted it and laid it out beside her to dry. She also caught a glimpse of her stomach when she performed the movement and saw that the arrow wound was closed now.

Lightning sighed in relief. By tomorrow, she would be fully recovered from this ordeal. The soldier laid herself down on the ground by the tree, on her back as she put her hands over her stomach naturally. Caius continued to sit next to her in silence, but it didn't bother Lightning. She was starting to get used to the entity known as Caius Ballad.

Within a few minutes, Lightning drifted into unconsciousness.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Caius waited at least fifteen minutes by Lightning's side, just listening to her even breathing as the sun began to set. Today was interesting to say the least. His biggest surprise was that Lighting didn't believe that he killed Averia. Maybe she just wasn't one for trusting those who held her hostage, but still. She had much more of a feud with Caius than with those people, yet she chose to believe that he didn't kill Averia.

He didn't understand why that was. But he didn't bother asking either; he didn't want to know the logic behind Lightning's thoughts in the village. He already knew a great deal about her and how she reasoned, but today was a mystery.

His gaze went to the young woman sleeping soundly beside him. "I don't understand you," he said quietly, so soft that she wouldn't awaken. She sympathized with his plight to save Yeul and she didn't even know the whole story. He had left out something for some reason.

He travelled the timeline and was with many Yeul's. In the few cases where they had siblings, the sibling was always upset with Etro for giving Yeul the curse of the visions. In the beginning, Averia had reverence for Etro. But she grew to despise the goddess overtime for taking away the light and hope of the people with every cycle of rebirth. Averia was killed by Long Gui right after praying to the goddess and speaking to her angrily.

She wasn't the only one to have a fate such as this. Whenever any other sibling grew to despise Etro, they were killed by a monster or by a natural disaster. Why? Etro did not want them to influence the rest of the villages into believing that she was an evil goddess. She hoped that people would continue to view her as good so that one day when somebody strong attacked her, she would have defenders.

Her plan worked perfectly. Caius wanted to kill the goddess more than he wanted to just release her heart from his body. That was why he went to Valhalla and attempted to kill what was left of the goddess beside the Heart of Chaos. But he was alright with being killed himself just as long as the timeline was destroyed. Now he felt differently. Etro was despicably evil for twisting the lives of so many so that the world could become Valhalla. She did not understand the will of humans and how strongly they would fight back against such an injustice. She was a goddess out of touch with the hearts of men.

And Caius…he was practically a god himself. He was also detached from the suffering that he caused other people when he was trying to save Yeul. Perhaps he was insane. His actions appeared completely rational at the time, but now he was seeing the ramifications of everything. He had been the equivalent of the evil goddess. And as long as he had his way, he was okay with that. But…

Caius shifted his gaze to the young woman sleeping beside him. Lightning was partially the reason for his pondering. She always fought against him and it wasn't necessarily for her own selfishness. She did fight for the future that **she **wanted, but it was for the good of so many more than what Caius had been fighting for. "Would you tear down the world for even a few people that you care for?" he asked her softly, aware that she still wouldn't hear him. "You once thought killing Etro would destroy the whole world, yet after Serah's death, you were willing to kill her. Are you and I the same in that way? Are we really so selfish?"

The soft breathing of her slumber was his response. A slight chuckle left his lips as he shook his head. It had been a moment of weakness when she declared that she didn't care what happened to the world just as long as Etro paid for killing her sister. He had a feeling that once the rage died down, she would come back to her senses and not cause the world's destruction. "Lightning" destroyed, but Lightning the person feebly fought to protect the things around her. Serah, the future, and her other friends. It wasn't all in vain. Lightning had to be good for more than just destruction. _Caius _had to be good for more than destruction. All of her problems applied to him too. Was he powerless to do anything beneficial, or could he only destroy?

"Hmph," he hummed with a slightly bitter smile. He supposed that he would find out. As he travelled with Lightning, he tried to do more than cause destruction and broken hearts. At least, that was how he had been since they arrived in New Paddra. Before he hadn't sought to cause a broken heart with Lightning; he had been doing what was necessary to shut her out. That was selfish of him. From now on, he would try to be different. He would try to heal, not hurt. To build, not destroy.

The future was in their hands. They had to make it a good one.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Welp, that's the end of that chapter! It's a little shorter than usual, but still provides important stuff. Thanks to those of you who reviewed this week. As always, it's appreciated. :) Be sure to drop by a note for this one, and I'll see you guys again later this week for an update. **


	9. Chapter 9: Together

Chapter Nine: Together

When Lightning awoke next, it wasn't because of Caius bringing her back to the real world. On the contrary, she looked over at him right away and saw his face clearly in the wake of the rising sun. He had fallen asleep sometime in the middle of the night without awakening her to keep guard while he rested.

"I guess this **is **a safe place," she murmured to herself as she pushed herself up to her feet. When she had created the rift to bring them both to this place, it had been because she desired to come to a place that was safe. Caius couldn't have known that since he didn't know what motives she used to create the rift, but it was clear enough in the air that there were no monsters or other threats in this area.

This was New Bodhum 620 AF. The two of them had arrived in this place after fleeing a battle in New Paddra. Lightning had been wounded and they stopped to rest and speak here. They actually had a conversation without either of them bickering or losing their tempers. Considering that they both could be a little hotheaded, it was surprising that they were able to have a decent conversation. More than decent, actually. Caius Ballad actually opened up to her about his past because he respected her for more than just her battle abilities. She wasn't sure what exactly changed his mind, but it didn't matter. Just as long as they could continue being civil as they moved on then she would be happy.

The soldier glanced down at Caius, who was leaning against the tree with his arms folded over his chest, one more time before she walked to the water that still lapped the shores of the beach. The town was desolate and abandoned, but at least it was still a place that was inhabitable. She wished she knew what had happened to make everyone leave this place, but at the same time, she didn't. Knowing all the tragedies of the timeline was devastating.

Eventually, Lightning coaxed herself out of her clothes and into the water to get cleaned up. The water was chilling even with the sun shining down, so she didn't take long to wash off the dirt, grime, and blood before she got back out of the water and put her uniform on again. Trusting that Caius would be fine sleeping on his own for a while, she walked further away from the abandoned village in order to find some food for the both of them to eat. They were both warriors, trained to be able to go a long time without food, but they still needed food if they were going to have the strength to carry on.

Lightning walked past the tree to head out of the area. "Where are you going?" a low voice asked from beside her.

_Caius_, she thought instantly, looking down to see that his eyes were now open. Tired, but open. "I figured I'd go get some breakfast," she said with a small nod. "The area's pretty tame."

"We should go together anyway," Caius said, setting a hand on the ground as if to get up.

But Lightning shook her head. "You still look tired," she responded bluntly. "Go ahead and rest for a little while. I'll be back."

Caius's eyebrows furrowed more deeply when he was told what to do. Of course he didn't like taking orders, even if he and Lightning were on good—or at least, better—terms now. But instead of arguing, he leaned back against the tree and folded his arms over his chest again. "As you wish."

"Good," Lightning said after a moment of recovery_. I can't believe he just stopped himself from antagonizing me, just like that. Wish he would have done that a long time ago…_ Regardless, Lightning looked away from Caius and started walking the way that she had been going before.

It didn't take long for her to find a monster that they could eat. There were dog-like creatures [insert proper name here] that were easy to kill in this area, even for one person fighting alone. Clearly it wasn't monster infestation that caused the town to rot. Instead of dwelling on those thoughts, she draped the animal's legs over her shoulders and carried it behind her head as she returned back to the town.

Caius was there with a roaring fire waiting for her. "I thought I told you to rest," she stated, plopping the animal down on the ground as she gave Caius an arched brow.

"I did rest," he said evenly. "It was much easier to build a fire and get water than to go hunting as you did."

Lightning blinked. "You got water too?"

"Yes," he said with a slight smirk. "Are you glad now that I didn't laze around and do nothing?"

"Hmph," she hummed. A small smirk formed on her lips as well, knowing this was a less offensive way of antagonism than what Caius did in the past. This was more…friendly. "Only if you brought some water back for me and didn't drink it all for yourself."

"I'm a bit more considerate than that," Caius said as he rolled his eyes. Down by his side, Lightning noticed that he was holding a pouch. He wordlessly tossed it to her and she caught it with ease. She glanced down at it, seeing that it was old. _Where'd you get it? _she asked through her eyes. "I found it inside the old house," he answered upon seeing her eyes.

Lightning hummed a brief response before lifting it to her lips and taking a sip. The cool water slid down her throat, soothing dryness that she had learned to ignore so well that she hadn't even noticed it. Realizing her true thirst, she drank the water more quickly. While she did, Caius started working on the animal and cutting it so that they could roast it over the fire. He was no stranger to hunting and cooking food in the wilderness, that was for sure.

While Caius cooked the meat on a stick, Lightning went to refill the pouch of water. The food was done by the time that she returned. She and Caius ate in silence for a little while, both wrapped up in their own thoughts.

At the same time, they spoke each other's names.

"Lightning."

"Caius."

They both did a double take, unsure of who should speak first. Being in sync was awkward. Fortunately for her, Caius was willing to break that brief tension. "What are our plans from this point on?" he asked after a moment, gazing at Lightning before taking a bit into the meat he still held on a stick.

"Honestly?" she said aloud. "I think that if we're serious about going after Etro, we need to stop running around to random times and getting into trouble. We need to be a higher-functioning team before we find Etro."

"Good point," he agreed easily. "So, where can we train together?"

"I only have one place in mind. The Coliseum."

"The Coliseum," Caius repeated in thought. That was a world in some sort of Realm that Lightning didn't know much about at all. All that she knew was that warriors from different times—even different universes—could be summoned to the Coliseum by the Arbiter of Time. If they could battle monsters together at the Coliseum, they could get a battle feel of how they could work together. "Very well. We can go there. I don't believe that it will take us too long to get a feel for working together though."

"Really?" Lightning asked curiously. "Why's that?"

"Because, we've fought against each other and observed each other for a very long time. You know my strengths and I know yours. But since we also know each other's weaknesses, we can easily form a strategy that best utilizes our strengths and covers our weaknesses."

"Good logic," the impressed young woman said. "It sounds like you've had training in the art of strategy."

Caius merely shrugged. "I have been to many times and seen many wars. I have only adopted knowledge from that."

"Well, you're about to adopt more of that from me," she said with a smirk. "Let's clean up here and then get going. We've got a Coliseum to crash."

*…*…*…*…*…*

"No."

"Oh come _on_," Lightning said in exasperation, eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the man before her. She and Caius had, by some miracle, arrived in the Coliseum. Just when the rifts actually worked in their favor, the Arbiter of time decided not to be so favorable. He just told them that they could not battle here in the Coliseum! But they had to train here; this was where they could face the strongest opponents and get a strategy down. This place was their only hope…

"The time for all warriors to come to this Coliseum has not yet arrived," The Arbiter of Time said to the two. "I do not welcome even you here. Leave immediately."

"And what if we linger anyway?" Caius challenged. "Would you fight us?"

"I wouldn't give you the satisfaction," he responded smoothly. "I would leave and you would as well since your purpose cannot be accomplished here."

"Listen, we **need **to train here," Lightning said lowly. "The world will end if we're not strong enough to kill Etro."

"Etro is the goddess of time. The time for the Coliseum to begin is decided by her."

"So if we were to kill her, your time would never come," Caius guessed.

"Yes. My time comes at the end of time. And that day continues to draw nearer so long as you stay away from the goddess."

"So we actually have the possibility of being a threat to her," Lightning realized.

The Arbiter of Time said nothing.

"Well fine," she spat. "You want the end of the world just so that you can finally run this coliseum. All you care about is having people pitted against each other. Don't you get it? Life is so much more than just fighting—life is about what you're fighting _for. _But I wouldn't expect you to understand that." Lightning turned to look at Caius, whose expression was as unreadable as always. "Come on, Caius, we're leaving."

Lightning turned and started walking away, though she wasn't sure where they were going but the top of the stairs. They could make a rift there and then move onto their newest location. Obviously nothing good was going to be accomplished here. Even Caius realized that when he followed behind her.

"Wait."

The two both stopped halfway up the stairs, turning around to face the man who had spoken.

"I do not desire the end of the world," he declared. "But I do not desire to openly oppose Etro either. Still, I believe we can assist each other today. There are two monsters in this realm that were uninvited here yet still wreak havoc. If you can rid me of those two pests, I will find some way to repay you."

Lightning and Caius shared a brief look. As if they were going to turn down that offer. They came here to fight anyone, even pests. If they made it to this realm uninvited, then they were strong beings. "We'll do it," they said at the same time.

"Very well," the man said. "Wait here. They will come."

And just like that, the Arbiter of Time vanished from his spot in the center of the coliseum.

Lightning chuckled to herself, shaking her head as she started down the steps once more. "That was unexpected," she stated, though she was pleased.

"I suppose your rant about fighting and life touched him somehow," Caius said stoically. "Perhaps he is more human than he appears to be."

"And what about you, Caius?" she asked, looking over at him. "Are you more human than appear to be?"

"No."

"Mhm," Lightning hummed with a smug, disbelieving smile. She knew that Caius was lying to her. Whether he realized it or not, he started showing his humanity to her when he first protected her in the temple. He covered her head with his hands, which was completely unnecessary and showed added care. Then his protectiveness of her when she had the arrow in her stomach, and the care he took in removing it and making sure she didn't pass out. But perhaps the greatest example of his humanity was how he trusted her in seeing his memories of Averia.

"What?" Caius said, shooting her a faint glare.

She turned around to face him. "Whether you realize it or not, Caius, your actions speak a lot more loudly than your words. You **are **human, whether you want to admit it or not. And you're not a bad one either."

"Is that some kind of compliment?"

"Take it how you want it," she said, waving a hand through the air absently. "But I guess I don't have to tell you that. You'll do what you want either way."

"Hmph," Caius hummed as the faintest of smirks appeared on his lips. "That I will."

Before the conversation could continue any further, maniacal laughter filled the round coliseum and echoed throughout the area. Both Lightning and Caius became serious as they put a hand on the hilt of their weapons and looked around the area for the source.

Who—or what—appeared was a surprise to both of them. A purple octopus-like creature jumped out of the stands of the Coliseum and plopped down right in the middle, the slime of its tentacles actually seen sputtering within the radius of where he landed. "What the?" Lightning muttered, her eyes curious and confused. _What is this thing?_

The octopus was larger than she and Caius, purple, and very slimy. His eyes were red and sharp fangs were dangling from his upper mouth. Those red eyes creeped Lightning out a little, though it wasn't because he seemed like a threat. He was just plain creepy. Especially when those red eyes of his landed on her and he jumped in excitement.

"Oh _my_!" the creature, Ultros, cried in excitement. "What a _beautiful _woman!"

"What?" Lightning grunted. He was **flirting **with her!

"Don't act so surprised, lady!" Ultros laughed as he again jumped up and down. "The Great Ultros knows beauty when he sees it!" His red eyes went over to Caius then, and his cheeks turned as red as his eyes at that moment. "I just hope this handsome man hasn't claimed you yet!"

"He hasn't," Lightning said awkwardly, lifting a hand and ruffling her hair. _Creep. _

"Oh **good!**" Ultros cried in excitement. "That means I can have him all for myself! So happy, so happy!"

This time, it was Caius who grunted "what" in shock. "You vile, worthless, lecherous-"

"Oh, what's this?" Ultros interrupted in a saddened tone. "Has Uncle Ultros made you two angry? You don't wish to befriend Uncle Ulty?"

"No," the two said simultaneously.

"Well, that's a pity," the octopus sighed sadly. "Well, if I can't have Caius 'Fabulous' Ballad-"

Caius had his sword out before Lightning could do anything. A purple mist surrounded it as he pulled it back behind his head and then swung it, energy flowing across the ground in a bolt and shattering against Ultros.

Ultros cried out in pain, slithering back a few feet to get away from Caius. But apparently the pain wasn't too extreme; the lecherous creature managed to find his voice again. "You didn't even let me finish!" he cried in anger. "I was going to say that if I can't have Mr. Fabulous with the headband and the matching scarf, then nobody can!"

"Yeah, we assumed you were going to say something like that," Lightning said in aggravation. Now she could see why the Arbiter of Time was so eager to get Ultros out of this place. He was a pain in the butt.

"Oh, you're no fun. But **I'm **still going to have fun with this. Oh Mr. Typhon!" he called up to the sky. "I could use your _assistance_!"

Lightning grunted, seeing a creature appear out of a black fog. It was absolutely hideous, pink, and flying. He roared into the air, flexing its ugly claws at both her and Caius. She finally pulled out her gunblade, wincing when the air of the roar actually felt like it would blow her backwards.

"His might will **blow **you away!" Ultros cried with a laugh. He squirmed closer to both Lightning and Caius, smacking his tentacle against the ground as he reached out to both of them. They jumped backwards skillfully, though they nearly lose their balance when they felt a blast of wind come from Typhon.

"How are we going to do this?" Caius grunted, sword stabbed into the ground before him as he was braced against the mighty wind.

"Leave 'Mr. Typon' to me," Lightning responded through her teeth. She kept her arms lifted before her face, but the still felt her feet sliding back a few inches every second that the wind was directed at her. "I've got a plan."

"Divide and conquer? That's not going to help us when we're facing one opponent," he stated.

"Yeah, well, we're not facing one enemy right now," she stated obviously. "So we'll have to do what we can in this situation."

Caius only grunted his agreement. "Fine. Though I have a feeling that you're only pitting me against Ultros to spite me."

Was that a joke? In battle? And from _Caius Ballad_? She smirked faintly, shaking her head. "Soon enough, you'll see my plan in action."

The wind suddenly stopped and both of them knew that there couldn't be a moment's delay. "Now!" she cried. She and Caius crossed paths, heading towards their respective opponents and striking both with the skill and speed of true warriors. Though Lightning knew that Caius would have his hands full with Ultros, she knew that he could handle that overgrown squid. Hopefully Typohon wouldn't be too much of a problem, not with the strategy that Lightning had in mind.

The creature swung its claw at her, which she narrowly avoided by jumping backwards. Then the next thing she knew, Typhon opened his mouth and sucked in a mighty breath so that he could blow her away. "Now or never," she muttered. She snapped her fingers to activate her Grav Con device, a device that altered her gravity. The blue streaks flowed over her body like an electric charge, making her feel lighter on her feet.

Typhon blew a mighty wind at her to try and knock her back. She didn't budge an inch or even feel the air affect her. "Ha!" she cried, victorious. The Grav Con device altered her gravity so that the wind couldn't affect her. She ran forward unaffected, dishing out combo after combo while Typhon was confused about why his wind wasn't affecting her. As long as she had the device turned out, this was going to be an insanely easy battle.

Or so she thought. After dealing many mighty blows to Typhon, she heard Ultros's obnoxious voice. "Mr. Typhon!" he cried. "I'll help you!"

And then Lightning felt one of the slimy tentacles wrap around her ankle. She grunted roughly as Ultros yanked her off the ground and tossed her up into the air, high enough that she actually hit the ceiling of the Coliseum.

Lightning fell down to the ground again like a rock, landing on her stomach before she rolled backwards to get onto her feet again. Miraculously, her device was still working. She had to get back to the fight against Typhon.

But Typhon and Ultros were both occupied. They were unleashing a combo on Caius, who looked worse for wear than Lightning did. He was swinging his sword and unleashing energy waves at Typhon and Ultros, but the wind of Typhon sent his own attack back at him.

"Caius!" Lightning cried hoarsely, seeing him get knocked into the stands onto his back. She furrowed her eyebrows in fury, not liking to see somebody so strong get toyed with. She used her enhanced jumping abilities to jump right over Typhon and Ultros and land right beside Caius.

"I'm fine," Caius said, though he winced as he sat up.

_Time for a new approach. Really together this time. "_Can you fly?" she asked lowly, hearing Ultros laughing about something and speaking to his friend Mr. Typhon.

"Fly?" Caius asked in confusion. "If I turn into Bahamut and fly, I'll be that much more vulnerable to Typhon's wind attacks."

"No you won't," Lightning said, snapping off her Grav Con device for a moment.

"How?"

"Do you trust me?" she asked, extending a hand to help him up.

"Somewhat."

"Then trust me now." She had another plan that she was ready to put into motion.

Caius glanced up at her eyes for a moment, considering what she had to say. All the while, Ultros's voice came from the ground floor of the Coliseum. "Hurry up, lovebirds!"

That comment was enough to infuriate Caius and get him to follow whatever plan Lightning had in her mind. He accepted her hand and rose to his feet, nodding faintly to her in acceptance. Good; he was willing to follow through even without all the details. Maybe their partnership in battle was going to work out after all.

Caius grasped Ragnarok tightly, the gem in the center glowing as he began to gather his power. But at the same time, Typhon gathered his. "Incoming!" Lightning cried in warning.

He didn't need to be told twice. He started running another direction, away from Lightning. When his energy was gathered, he leapt into the air and transformed in a dark cloud and reappeared as Chaos Bahamut, a beast so large and intimidating that even Lightning had been afraid to face it in the past.

Lightning shot bullets at Typhon while he blew wind at her, not turning on her device again. Not yet. "Caius, give me a lift!"

He flew over in her direction, low enough that she could jump onto his back. He clearly struggled against the wind of Typhon, but that wouldn't be a problem too much longer. Lightning jumped onto his back, grunting when she knelt down on one knee and grasped onto him with her free hand. I hope this works… she thought, putting her sword away for just a moment. She snapped her fingers once again and activated the device, though the blue aura didn't just glow around her body anymore. Since she was in contact with Caius when she turned it on, he was also altered by it.

"There," she breathed in satisfaction. Now they were practically invincible.

"What! What are you doing up there?" Ultros cried. "Mr. Typhon, teach them a lesson!"

But when Mr. Typhon blew wind at them, they weren't even affected. Caius immediately caught onto this fact and swooped down, swinging a claw at both their enemies and inflicting critical blows. He kept swooping down as Lightning kept balanced on his back and shot off bullets from her gun to keep inflicting damage of her own.

Eventually Caius got tired of all the swooping down. He pulled back into the higher skies, charging up his most fatal attack: Megaflair.

"Uh-oh!" Ultros cried. "Time for me to go!"

Lightning sent fireballs his way, forcing him to retreat back into the area where Caius was going to shoot his beam at. Ultros continued to cry out, clearly afraid now. And he had a right to be.

Caius unleashed Megaflair and both Ultros and Typhon were burned to a crisp. "Ha," Lightning laughed, snapping her fingers and turning off her device wordlessly. There was no longer a need for it. Ultros and Typhon crumpled into piles of ash before disappearing, never again to return to this arena.

"We did it, Caius," Lightning said, giving him a brief pat as he flew closer to the ground. She jumped off of his back, landing gracefully on her feet with a satisfied smirk on her face. When Caius transformed back into himself, he wore a very similar expression and gave her a smirk of approval.

The two of them actually made a good team after all.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Author: This chapter was a ton of fun to write. ;3 Especially Ultros. He was a riot in FFVI, and from I watched online of his downloadable content in XIII-2, he's still hilarious. But anywho, thanks for reading, and now onto the personal stuff…Looking at the reviews, I don't see any questions I need to answer. xD So there ya go! Thanks to MaroonAngle of Darkness, Hannah Abby, Davewik, i, Riku91, Darkis0777, jchongmeeluk , and arth for reviewing. **

**Until next time!**


	10. Chapter 10: Back on Task

Chapter Ten: Back on Task

"You have rid me of the horrid monster Ultros," the Arbiter of Time said, relief clear in his voice. Soon after Lightning and Caius had defeated Ultros and his companion Typhon, the Arbiter of Time reappeared in his current spot: the center of the Coliseum. "I cannot thank you enough for the work you have done."

"Our pleasure," Caius said with a slight smirk. And Lightning found herself agreeing. It had been such a great pleasure to take out Ultros after all the disgusting flirting he did. Nobody would dare speak to them lightly in the future, that was for sure. If the two of them could defeat two monsters who were strong enough to cross the paths of time on their own, then they stood a fair chance against anyone, even the goddess herself.

"I have thought of one way that I can repay you for your services," the man continued to Lightning and Caius. "I cannot have you training in my arena; it would be open treason against the goddess Etro. But I am willing to send you to any time that you want to go to so long as the goddess has not cut it off from you."

Wow. That was a better offer than Lightning had been expecting. Not that she really knew what to expect in the first place, but still. "We'll need to talk it over before we come to you with your decision," she said.

"As you wish."

The Arbiter of Time disappeared from his spot quite suddenly to give Lightning and Caius some privacy. She looked over at him, speaking her thoughts first. "Do you realize what this means?" she asked without waiting for a response. "He might even be able to take us to Valhalla. We won't have to jump along the timeline anymore and wonder where we're going…"

"He would only be able to do that if the goddess did not block us from going there," Caius agreed. "But Lightning…I do not think we are yet prepared for this battle."

"Really?" she asked in surprised. "Why, do you think we're not strong enough?" It made sense; they had only fought together in this battle. The rest they sort of split off and one person ended up defeating the enemy. But Caius's shaking of his head proved that those weren't his thoughts.

"It is not our strength that I doubt," Caius stated. "It is the strength of this world. Recall how in the beginning of this, we said that Etro would need to be faced on two fronts: in her world and in this world. Before we face her in Valhalla, we must ensure the safety of this world. Or she may have won before we even arrive there."

"Okay, so where should we go in this world to protect it?"

"There are a few eras that I think could be in danger, but we've been falling into those eras naturally thus far."

"You're talking about the dragons, aren't you?" When Lightning and Caius jumped through time the first time, they arrived in New Bodhum and faced the Dawn Dragon. And then the next time, they landed in the time of the Ice Dragon. That was the last dragon they faced, because after that, Lightning purposely had another desire in creating the rifts. They lost sight of the goal of protecting her friends after a while, but now it seemed like it was time to get back on task and protect them. From there they could face whatever other threats were scattered throughout time.

"Yes," Caius responded, confirming her suspicions. "We're attracted to those dangerous eras because your desire to keep your friends safe includes Fang and Vanille, who are trapped in the crystal pillar. That is why we've gone to the ages of dragons, or so I believe. But in the case of protecting those in Academia, I do not believe we will simply stray into that time."

"We need to go to an age around 400 AF and get weapons above all else," Lightning figured. "Just returning to 500 AF won't do any good." As badly as she wanted to go and just see her friends, she knew that she had to focus on fighting the war above all else. Getting back to 500 AF wasn't guaranteed since they were just jumping around time; in fact, it was going to be nearly impossible because—"Wait a second," she said suddenly. "You said before that we can't visit times where are friends are, but the first place we went was 500 AF. How does that work?"

"Easy. 500 AF was the period of time where Valhalla first appeared because that was where Noel and Serah returned to," he explained. "The timeline has always been the most unstable there. So Etro could not deny us passage."

"Okay, that makes sense," she agreed, fortunate for Caius's knowledge and ability to explain things clearly. "So there's still a chance that we can get there in the future. But as for getting close to 400 AF and getting weapons, this is our only chance. We need to take it."

"Agreed."

"Alright, we're ready," Lightning called to the Arbiter of Time.

The man instantly reappeared in the center of the area. "So, 405 AF?" he assumed. Obviously he overheard their conversation. What was the point of him leaving then? _Never mind it,_ Lightning thought. She nodded her response. 405 AF, Academia was their destination.

"405 AF, Academia," Caius added. "You can guarantee that we can go there?"

"Yes," the Arbiter of Time said with a nod. "I am certain this time is not kept out of your access. Though I don't know why, since the goddess knows your plans…"

"Does that mean it's a trap?"

"Not likely," Caius said lowly. "It means that the goddess does not believe we can make a difference."

"Hmph," she hummed, a smile of bitterness spreading on her lips. "Guess we'll need to prove her wrong."_Challenge accepted, Etro. You're going down._

"That we will," he agreed before shifting his attention to the Arbiter of Time again. "Now, if you could be so kind…"

"I do not operate using the rifts as you do," the figure stated. "I can teleport you both there instantaneously without using the Historia Crux. This is the gift that I have. The two of you need to be in close proximity for me to be able to do this."

Lightning and Caius, though allies in battle and on better terms with each other now, gave each other wary glances before standing right beside each other. Half a foot still separated them from each other.

"Perhaps I was not clear enough," the Arbiter of Time said apathetically. "You two must hold hands."

_Are you kidding?_ Lightning thought as she rolled her eyes. But then she changed her mind. _Whatever. Let's just get this done_. And Caius, having the same thought process as her, reached for her hand the same time that she reached for his. The grasped each other's hand and stared down at them for a brief moment before they both looked up at the man who ordered this.

"Alright, you are ready," he declared. "Do not release each other."

As soon as the Arbiter of Time said this, Lightning felt off balance on her feet as the area began to blur. She felt like she was swaying and that she would fall down onto the ground, but then she realized that was just it: there _was no ground. _She tightened her grasp on Caius's hand automatically, as if he had a better stance than she did. But he was just as unbalanced as she.

Still, within a few seconds, the blurriness began to clear. Instead of silence, noise started entering her ears. The sounds of a city, where tons of people were walking around like they would any other day. Footsteps started growing louder and so did the soft breeze that always blew through the city because of the cars flying way above their heads.

And then the area itself became as clear as the sounds. They were standing in the middle of the city, facing the Academy's Headquarters building. The city wasn't as big as it had been in 500 AF, but it was still impressive to look at.

"Don't move!"

Lightning grunted, turning her head and suddenly seeing Academy soldiers surrounding her and Caius in a circle. With guns lifted and the safety's off. "Great," she mumbled automatically. They made an entrance and now the army saw them as a threat. Who wouldn't? Normal people didn't just show up out of the blue.

"Who are you?" asked the apparent head of the soldiers. The only reason that Lightning could tell was because of a star that he wore on the shoulder of his standard Academy outfit. And the fact that he spoke, obviously. "How did you just appear here?"

"We come in peace," Caius said. "Lower your weapons."

"You're in no position to be telling us what to do," the man said. He lowered his gaze to their hands, which were still grasping each other's. "Release each other."

Lightning and Caius both looked down, and upon seeing that they were still holding onto each other, released at the same time without hesitation. "Now," the Academy soldier continued. "Unless you can provide some proof of identity, we're taking you to Headquarters as prisoners. And do not think you can escape us; our guns can outmatch swords any day."

_Not my sword_, Lightning thought, glaring at the man. _You have no clue what wars we've fought in. You have no idea how strong we are. _Still, she didn't want a fight. "I'm a friend of Director Estheim."

"Yeah," the man chuckled. "You and every other girl in Academia. If that's the best that you can come up with, then I'm afraid talking here is pointless."

The soldiers came in closer to take them away. "I am!" she said defensively, still glaring at the head man. "My name is Lightning. I'm a time traveler like Hope. We fought together before Cocoon stood on its crystal pillar."

Everyone stopped advancing. Even the leader seemed at a loss for words. "That's a strong story," he managed. "Can you back it up?"

"How?"

"Give me information that only somebody travelling with Hope would know."

_Um…_She glanced down at the ground, trying to think of something. Hope Estheim was an incredibly famous man. Wasn't his whole life documented somewhere by now? What information could she offer that was unique? "We travelled with four others: Fang, Vanille, Snow Villiers, and Sazh Katzroy."

"Anywho who read a history book could know that," he scoffed.

"The place that five of us joined for the first time was in the chamber of Anima."

"We all know about Anima making everyone l'cie. Saying that you met there could be coincidence."

Lightning scoffed in frustration, lifting a hand to her face. There was no satisfying this guy. She didn't know what type of information he was looking for! "I know where the brands were on everyone," she stated.

"As do most people."

"Come on!" she mumbled in frustration. What information wasn't public? They didn't try to keep any secrets back then, or apparently afterward. Everyone wanted to know exactly what happened after Cocoon fell, so everyone was informed about how the Fal'Cie really were raising them to be destroyed. None of the details of their adventure were secret; only maybe…personal secrets. "Do you know the real name of Lightning?" she asked softly.

Finally, the head's expression changed to one that was more receptive. "It's classified information," he declared. "If you can tell us that, then you check out."

She curled her hands into fists, staring down at the ground while all the gazes were on her. She hated repeating this name. She hadn't said it for years herself. And now she had to say it like a password? Still, she was Lightning now, not Claire. And Lightning did whatever she needed to in order to complete her goal. "Claire," she finally said. "My name was Claire Farron."

"So it's true," the chief gasped. All at once, he and his men lowered their guns. "Lightning disappeared out of history after the fall of Cocoon. Director Estheim spent a lot of resources looking for you, and now here you are, five years after the director went into a deep slumber to travel to the future."

"I'm aware," she nodded. "I've jumped through time to do something for Hope from the future."

"Let's discuss this in headquarters," he said. "Then I can help serve you best. I'm sorry for the harsh introduction, by the way. My name is Steven."

"It's fine," Lightning said, extending a hand to shake Steven's outstretched one. "People don't often just show up out of nowhere."

"Very true," Steven said with a small smile, shaking Lightning's hand before withdrawing. "Well then, follow me. Whatever Director Estheim has in mind, I'm sure that it's not a light matter."

"No it's not," Caius agreed, speaking for the first time in a while as they started towards headquarters. I'm surprised they didn't ask him for his name, Lightning thought as she glanced over at him. But she supposed that as long as he was with her, then he would be fine. Funny how Lightning was a celebrity. Even 400 years after her work in saving Cocoon, she was still remembered and studied in history. Though she didn't care what people thought of her, she was curious.

"I can't believe that I'm meeting you," Steven said after a minute or two of walking. "**The **Lightning. You're thoroughly mentioned in Director Estheim's biography. Apparently you had a real hand in shaping him into the find man that he is today. It's an honor to meet you."

"Thanks," Lightning said simply. But she couldn't take credit for Hope turning out the way that he was. Her other friends helped raise him as well after his mother died. He really looked up to Snow too; they became like brothers. And Fang and Vanille like his older sisters. Then there was Sazh…He wasn't quite a father figure; he wasn't old enough to be anyone's father. He was more of a comical uncle. But no matter what, Lightning wasn't responsible for Hope turning out so great. She even messed him up for a while, getting him to focus on revenge and all that. He turned out alright despite that. Better than alright.

As they entered the main headquarters, Steven took them to his private office. It was only the three of them, so they had plenty of privacy. "So," he said as he took a seat. "What brings you to this year, Lightning and friend?" He arched a brow faintly at Caius, wondering his name.

"We're keeping his name secret," Lightning found herself saying. "Along with a lot of other details. The last thing we want is to create a paradox."

"Right, of course," Steven agreed.

"We met with Hope in the year 500," Caius said. "And we request that you work on manufacturing weapons at a higher rate than you originally intended."

"More weapons?"

"And don't let it take away from the New Cocoon project," Lightning added. "Do **not **change anything about that." If they did, it could be devastating for the future. They needed the new Cocoon to rise on schedule, but they also needed the weapons to defend it. Extracting the weapons from this time would alter the future, because then the future's weapons would have nothing to develop from. It was complicated, but it made sense in her mind. As much as they could, they needed to stick to what history was meant to be.

"Why do we need more weapons? Are we in danger?"

"We can't tell you that information," Caius stated.

"But if you're requesting weapons, that must be the case. What strikes us in the future? Is it that mysterious villain that Mr. Estheim never revealed much about?"

_Ha, you're talking about the man standing right in front of your desk,_ Lightning thought as she glanced over at him. _Ironic._ "No, it's not about him," she said. "All that you need to worry about is making more weapons. Nothing more. Keep your new world project on time and build weapons."

Steven stared down at his desk for a few moments, trying to decide what to do. But what choice did he have? He would either choose to obey their order or he wouldn't. Getting more information wasn't an option. "…Alright," he finally agreed. "Do we need to do any specialization in weapons? Start researching to fight a specific enemy."

"No," Caius said quickly. Confused, Lightning looked over at him. Why couldn't they get a head start on it? And then she understood; disclosing that information would tell Steven they were against the goddess. He couldn't know that. Nobody could. "Leave it to your director. He'll do what he needs to do."

"Okay."

"Thanks," Lightning said with a nod. "Good luck." She turned and walked out, with Caius following behind her. It was an abrupt exit, but she didn't care at all. First off, long goodbyes were never her things. Secondly, there was no more reason for them to be here, so it was time that they moved on to wherever the rifts of time took them. And those were the only two reason that Lightning needed to make her exit.

As she and Caius exited the building and walked through the city, he couldn't help but comment on that farewell. "You like to take charge, don't you?" he asked, though it wasn't a real question. The answer was obvious.

"Yes," she said evenly. "I do. Is that a problem, Caius?"

"No need to get defensive," he stated with a "hmph". "I was simply pointing out that you are the one who is calling nearly all the shots on this journey of ours. You decide when to say goodbye to people, where to go-"

"Well, if you want to be more involved, you'll need to speak up sooner. I'm not one to stand idly and wait for somebody else to take charge. You want control, you need to take it."

"Why is this topic so important to you, Lightning?" Caius asked as he looked over and studied her. "I haven't done anything to provoke you, yet you are snippy with me."

"You partially did provoke me, actually," she said honestly without looking over. "The other day when you called me a slave. I'm proving you wrong now; slaves don't have control of things. I do."

"You're still thinking on that?" he inquired in surprise.

"I brought it up, didn't I?"

"Lightning, stop."

Though Lightning hated obeying orders, she stopped walking because Caius had. It wasn't like she could leave without him, so she would indulge him right now and listen to whatever it was he had to say. Knowing him, it was probably something biting and hurtful. Or at least, intended to be hurtful. He couldn't truly wound her heart because he wasn't in her heart. She told herself that, anyway.

Caius studied Lightning from his spot a few feet away, his eyes locking onto hers when he spoke. "I was wrong to antagonize you back at the Bresha Ruins," he said calmly. "You were manipulated in the past because you were strong, not because you were weak. I apologize for all that I said."

Lightning was shocked to say the least. Caius Ballad not only admitted that he was wrong about something; he also apologized. Maybe he wasn't as arrogant as he appeared to be at first glance. He had reason to be arrogant in battle, but she figured he had a superiority complex and believed he was above being wrong. "…I think I've misjudged you, Caius," she said after a few moments. "I thought that almost everything you'd say to me would be to antagonize me."

"It was in the beginning," he confessed. "I feared you would become too soft if I didn't keep that anger burning within you. Now I see that your strength isn't just physical. You're intelligent and determined. I know that whether I antagonize you or not, you will have the same passion for this battle."

"Got that right," she agreed.

"So I've decided not to antagonize you anymore," Caius declared. "I've appreciated being civil with you since New Paddra and I'd prefer to keep it that way."

"So would I," Lightning said with a nod. She and Caius hadn't gotten into any arguments since the one that she just brought up. She hadn't even noticed the peace that settled between the two of them and how much she appreciated it until she looked back at the times when Caius purposely angered her. But if he was going to change to be more sincere, then Lightning would be less guarded and stop analyzing everything he said for insults.

"Alright then," Caius said as he started forward, past Lightning.

She hummed in amusement, though she followed behind. "Taking charge, I see."

Caius smirked. "I can't allow you to have all the pleasure."

"Fair enough." She would have asked him if he wanted to have the pleasure of creating the rifts, but she knew there was a reason she was creating them. Caius wasn't able to yet. His greatest desire was not to save the future, not even for the sake of avenging Yeul. His greatest desire was still to bring her back from the dead. No rift could grant that desire.

Whether Caius admitted or not—whether they discussed it or not, Lightning knew the truth. Caius had a big heart. And it was full of grief. As long as that was the case, he wouldn't be able to create a rift that could take them places like Lightning could.

The two of them walked for a long time since the city was so big. They walked and walked until they finally reached the outskirts of the city, where they could disappear without creating a scene like they did when they entered this era.

"So now we want to go to whichever eras are in danger," Lightning assumed. Not to go to 500 AF to check on Hope and the others.

"Right," Caius agreed. "The future can worry about itself. "

"Will Hope even know what to do with the weapons?" she wondered aloud. "The 500 AF we visited didn't have those weapons. That means we created a new future…one where we didn't meet with Hope and tell him that Etro is evil."

"Hope's memory, along with everyone else's, should still stand," he assured her. "They have had direct contact with us. Because of what we once were—nearly god and goddess—our influence should help them retain the memories of when we visited. So they will know what to do about the weapons and fighting Etro. We can depend on them."

At Caius's tone, she looked over at him. "It's nice to have people to depend on, isn't it?" she asked. She was able to hear in his tone that he did appreciate it, even if he was all alone for a long time. He had Yeuls with him, but he was fighting a war all by himself. No allies he could count on. Lightning couldn't imagine experiencing that; she always had at least one other person she could count on even if she didn't often trust people. That was something she was truly fortunate for.

Caius looked over and met Lightning's eyes. "Yes," he said honestly. "It is."

Lightning held Caius's gaze for a few moments, knowing that he was being truthful and sincere. And she appreciated it. But after a few moments, she did tear her gaze away and shut her eyes. Her greatest desire—protecting her friends—in mind, she created a rift in time. She and Caius disappeared into that rift and moved onto their next destination. The next time they would save.

***…*…*…*…*…***

**Sorry this chapter is late! I was on vacation this week and have been busy ever since I got home. But here's the chapter and I hope you all enjoyed it. (:**

**Let me just say how SHOCKED I was to come home from vacation and see all the reviews. It was crazy! You guys make me feel so special, so thank you so much for your ramblings, analyses, compliments, and faithful reviewing. I'm also making a shout out to all my foreign followers! Thanks for trying your best to review; you guys do speak English very well. (: You all rock!**

**On another note, if you want a personal response to your review at anytime, feel free to request it; sometimes I don't respond directly to each review because I can't think of too much to say. That doesn't mean I don't care, because I really REALLY do. **

**Hana-chan98: Yup, Ultros is really that weird. xD I played his original game (FFVI) and he was really flirtatious and awkward. He was so fun to write!**

**Saph34: the characters ended up in 500 AF because that's where they were at the end of the game except for Snow. Noel went back to 500 AF with Serah, Hope jumped forward to that time to raise Bhunivelze, and Sazh was also there in that time assisting in the final battle. Snow I just had jump there to be with the rest of the crew since he's able to travel the timeline on Shiva. **

**MaroonAngel of Darkness: "I really want to see a picture of Light riding Chaos Bahamut now xD." Hey, me too! Any of my readers out there artists? I believe some fanart is in order! **

**That's it for tonight. Everyone have a great day/evening/whatever it is where you live!**

**Peanut out.**


	11. Chapter 11: Humanity's Fate

**Author's note: This chapter was written while listening to the song "Requiem for a Dream". You may want to pull that up in the second half of the chapter to make it more epic. xP**

Chapter Eleven: Humanity's Fate

Lightning and Caius stepped out of the rift and onto the dry land of a new era. As soon as she saw it, a ragged gasp left Lightning's lips. "No," she breathed, blue eyes wide as they darted over the area.

This was just outside of Academia. They were standing in the same place where they had left the year 405. But this time, the ground was covered with white ash and sand. The city itself was blown apart, with buildings black and no lights on at all. Valhalla's shadow still loomed in the distance, as it had for all the time periods that they went to. It still had yet to take over, but this city was desolated. Completely destroyed.

"What…happened?" she asked weakly, taking a few steps forward. What could have caused this destruction? What year was it? This wasn't 500 AF, right? Maybe they created a paradox by visiting 405 AF. Maybe they ensured the destruction of this place somehow…

"Stay calm," Caius said. "Academia was always destined to turn out this way. The fact that we are seeing it in this state means that humanity is still doomed to die in the year 700 AF. This is probably at the end of time.

"So we didn't cause a paradox," Lightning breathed, relieved. Okay. This wasn't permanent. But… "Why are we here, though? If there was danger here, I would have seen it in the timeline when I was in Valhalla…"

"It's a mystery to me as well," he agreed. "I assume your desire was to protect those that matter to you?"

"Yes."

"Maybe there isn't danger here that we need to fight off. Perhaps there is something within the city that we are meant to take."

"Such as?" she prompted, all ears.

"Battle supplies? Information? I'm not sure, but we'll need to explore the city to find out."

"Sounds good," she nodded. She looked over at him as an idea popped into her head. "Hey, Caius, why don't you fly above the city to get a scope on things? Maybe you can see something that can give us an idea of why we're here?"

"You'll be alright on your own?"

"It's a deserted city," Lightning stated with a casual shrug. "Horrendous monsters don't often turn up in cities, and I doubt I'll run into any people. I'll try to find my way to a building with weapons or books."

"How will we meet up again?"

"I can set off a flair to show you where I am, if you roar to let me know you're ready to join me."

Caius hummed his approval. "Good plan," he agreed. "Alright. We shall rejoin later."

At that, Caius turned and walked away a few steps to transform into Chaos Bahamut. He ran his hand over the eye of Ragnarok casually, allowing it to glow with a red light for a second before a dark cloud surrounded him and he transformed into his eidolon and took off to the sky.

Lightning watched from the ground, arms folded over her chest as she watched him soar into the sky. "I gotta get me one of those," she said, surprising herself by how casually she spoke. That rarely happened, but when it did, she was alone. She was never too casual in front of others because she didn't want them seeing her as somebody…human. She did and she didn't want that. Humans were not strong creatures. They died easily. They were so wrapped up in emotions that they weren't firm in their convictions. But she was firm. Unbreakable.

With resolve shining in her eyes, Lightning started into the city and walked the abandoned roads of Academia. What a horrid future this was. Honestly, she was confused as to how this came about. People didn't die when Cocoon fell, yet humanity died out two years afterward. What caused it? It wasn't just a rise in monsters; it was something huge. But she didn't know what it was. She did have a chance to study the end times because she had been so focused on stopping Caius from destroying time itself. Noel came to save the future, but what he did was save time, not the future. Humanity was still doomed at this point.

Well, Lightning and Caius would change that somehow. First they needed to find out the cause. If it wasn't buried in one of these decaying buildings, maybe it was buried in Caius's mind. He did live at the end of days after all. He lived in all times that Yeul lived. But since Yeul no longer existed in the timeline, maybe the Caius that travelled with her didn't exist there anymore either. "So confusing," she muttered as she looked around the buildings. Most were completely destroyed and the doorways were blocked from access.

But one on her left looked accessible. Lightning glanced up at the sky one last time, seeing Caius high above inspecting everything still. _I'll be back out soon, _she thought before stepping over towards the building and ducking inside the broken doorframe.

Books were scattered all over the place. "What, have I actually had a stroke of good luck for once?" she mumbled to herself. Apparently she did. And the first book that she nearly stepped on was a history textbook. She couldn't believe her luck. Maybe some kind of god of goddess was looking out for her after all. Fang's "Lady Luck" was on her side today.

Lightning didn't see any chairs still standing, so she walked over to a spot where light from outside poured into the room and knelt down there. Opening up the book, she turned to the index and searched for a history section. The words "Bhunivelze's Downfall" caught her attention immediately. She quickly turned to that chapter and began to read.

_Chapter 13.2: Bhunivelze's Downfall_

_None could have foreseen the destruction of Bhunivelze. _ _The day the Bhunivelze rose in the sky was a day that all rejoiced for, since all of humanity waited nearly 400 years to see the rise of a new world. The architectural planning of the building was astounding. The Graviton Cores that were miraculously gathered by a team put together by President Estheim _(President? Lightning thought in surprise before continuing) _were able to hold the planet up without any problems. They did not weaken for the first fifty years of Bhunivelze's existence._

_But in the year 580 AF, something went terribly wrong. Bhunivelze was no longer firm in its place in the sky. Originally, the world was built to withstand any gravitational pulls from Gran Pulse or from heavy windstorms that could direct it to a different location. Somehow the world started to move on its own. Gradual, but quickly enough that people took notice. Scientists immediately began to search for a way to stabilize the planet, but none could solve the problem quickly enough. _

_Within six months, Bhunivelze drifted towards an active volcano. The Graviton Cores set off the volcano in an explosive eruption that made the planet completely fizzle within one day of being struck by the lava. All who were on Bhunivelze died, and many on Gran Pulse suffered the same fate. That volcano set off many others, earthquakes occurred, and cities burned down in panic. Over eighty-five percent of the human population died and the same amount of animals died as well. _

_Culture has recessed to primitive ways. Not many scholars still exist in this year, 595 AF. I took it upon myself to write an account in case the human race ever recovers from the devastation that caused the destruction of so many. I hope that humans can rise above and conquer this. But right now, it does not appear so. But if this time is just a new beginning for humanity, I hope I live to see people rise again. I sincerely hope so._

Lightning turned the page. Blank. That was all that the author had written.

She fought to urge to drop the book on the ground in shock. Bhunivelze's fate was tragic. After all the work Hope put into it, things somehow went wrong. Most of humanity died in that accident. The only reason that these deaths did not open Etro's Gate was because that time was not set in stone. Not yet. As long as she and Caius were around to interfere in the timeline, those deaths wouldn't official. She knew what they had to do now: they had to save Bhunivelze.

The sound of a rolling pebble outside entered Lightning's ears. Silently but quickly, she rose to her feet and stepped into the shadows of the building. Somebody was out there. And it wasn't Caius. He had no way of knowing that she was in this building.

Whoever was outside, they were trying to be quiet but failed. One person ducked inside of the building and then another, well-hidden in the shadows. But not as hidden as Lightning was in her spot. Still, she couldn't tell who they were because of the lighting. And were they wearing masks…?

"Come out," one said, his voice muffled behind a black and tan mask. "We know you're in here somewhere."

_Oh do you?_ Lightning though silently, seeing their heads turning as they scanned the room. They had no visual confirmation, not yet. She backed further into the darkness, glancing over her shoulder when she noticed a staircase in the corner of the room. She had to take it to the next floor; the people were coming further into this one and would discover her eventually.

Lightning took a step onto the first step of the staircase. It creaked underneath her feet.

"There you are," the second one said, eyes set on where Lightning was. He pulled out a gun and started shooting at her immediately, but she was too quick. She ran up the stairs with the book still in hand, eyes scanning the floor as she tried to find another place to run to.

From the outside, this building was a skyscraper. One of the tallest left standing in the building. But it was surely ready to collapse with the faintest damage done to it. _Just gotta reach the roof, _she thought as she sprinted up the stairwell. _Then I'll have an open area to engage them in. I can use the building's poor architecture to my advantage there. _And besides that, Lightning still held the history book in one of her hands. She couldn't lose it yet, in case there was still valuable information within it.

"Freeze!" a voice cried as the two mysterious figures chased Lightning. One shot off more bullets, some coming dangerously close to her.

"You idiot!" hissed the other to his friend. "Do you want this whole building to come down on us?"

_So, I'm not important enough for them to commit suicide for,_ she thought as she sprinted up what must have been the sixth floor staircase. _Okay, good._ But what were they after? How did they find her, and how did they know who she was?

The staircase ended abruptly at the eighth floor. Rubble blocked the rest of the stairs so that she couldn't reach the roof. She swore under her breath, eyes darting around the area. An open window greeted her. It was her only option. She ran for it and jumped out of it, soaring as she fell towards a nearby building that was only five stories high.

At the very last moment, she realized that the building was too far away for her to land on. Lightning reached out a hand, grabbing onto the edge of the building with that one hand. She grunted roughly, swinging herself up onto the ledge just as gunshots came from the other building towards her. She cast a shield around herself as she stood on the building, turning around to give them a glare. "You are **seriously **ticking me off," she muttered in fury. Who were they?

Though they were apart at that moment, Lightning noticed them back away from the window so that they could jump across to this building like she had. _Time to go! _She turned around and sprinted across this rooftop, jumping onto another one of the same height. Whoever these punks were, they were taking drastic measures to get to her. And she couldn't very well fight off two of them when she was so intent on protecting this book. Where was Caius?

Lightning glanced behind her as more gunshots trailed her footsteps. They were gaining on her. She spun around on her feet and went on the offensive, shooting fireballs at them. And, of course, they were dodged. But if Caius was still watching from the sky, those fireballs should have alerted him that there was some kind of problem.

She jumped to one last building, and as she landed on it, she noticed that this building was her worst option. Not only was it shorter than the other buildings, but it was also at the very edge of the city so that she had nowhere else to jump to. Her heart started racing more quickly, the soldier walking backwards as she looked up at the roof she had previously been on. The two foes jumped down and joined her on this rooftop.

"Who are you?" she dared to ask, cautiously setting a hand on her gunblade.

"Guardians of the timeline."

"Liar," Lightning spat, stopping backing up only because she was at the edge of the building. "There was only ever one guardian of the timeline. That was Caius."

"Times have changed. You have betrayed the goddess and now set out to cause destruction. Your time ends now."

A roar entered Lightning's ears. Caius was close. But he wasn't flying above the city anymore. He was flying below.

And then she understood.

"Hmph," Lightning hummed with a faint smirk. She turned to the side and shifted her hand so that it was on her pouch, but they couldn't see that from their angle. She reached in, pulled out a grenade, and threw it at them after removing the pin.

And then she jumped backwards off the edge of the building, only to land on the back of Chaos Bahamut as he soared upward above the city. Lightning grabbed onto his back tightly with one hand, her other clutching the book as they had a good view of the rooftop that she had just been standing on five seconds ago.

The grenade blew up with a bang, the fire swallowing the two who had been standing there. But once the smoke cleared, there was no sign that they were ever there.

Lightning shut her eyes, grunting in disappointment. _I should have done something more, _she thought. _I should have tried to capture one of them and figure out what was going on. _But at the same time, she had a feeling that today wasn't going to be the last time that she saw those two. Whoever they were.

Caius flew to the outskirts of town, landing down on the ground as he allowed Lightning to slide off his back. "Thanks," she said with a nod to the beast. He didn't need to fly in and save her, since she could have just jumped off the building and activated her Gravity Con device to soften the landing, but she appreciated having an ally who looked out for her.

A black smoke surrounded Caius as he transformed back into his usual self. Of course Lightning took a step back to give him some room, so when he was standing on two feet again, he actually had more distance between then just because he was smaller than he was when he was Bahamut.

"What happened?" he asked gravely.

"I went into a building and found this book," she stated as she held it up for him to see. "When I was done reading, two men entered the building. They knew who I was and were looking for me."

"How?"

"I have no idea. I didn't attack directly until those fireballs. I wanted to get this book out of there unscathed."

"Any clue who they were?"

"They said they were guardians of time," Lightning said as her expression turned to one of confusion. "But you were the only guardian, right Caius?"

Caius nodded his agreement. "That's right. I have no idea what they could have meant by that."

"Guess we'll find out next time we meet them."

"You do not believe your grenade killed them?"

"No, I'm too cynical to believe people die that easily."

The man smirked, nodding once more. "You'd prefer to be overly cautious and cynical about everything that surprised by somebody's reappearance in the future," he stated.

_Yeah…_Lightning agreed, though she showed confusion in her eyes. This was the second time within twenty-four hours that Caius was analyzing her. And he wasn't nitpicking her flaws, because they agreed not to do that with each other anymore. Was he analyzing her just for the sake of analyzing? "Why are you so intent on analyzing everything I do, Caius?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Is that what I'm doing?" he asked genuinely. "I apologize. It's been a while since I travelled with somebody I am not intimately familiar with. Analyzing your actions is something I just do naturally."

"Okay," she said with a small nod. That was a reasonable answer. She understood it because she was analyzing Caius a lot too. Only she did it in her head and didn't say it aloud. She was a bit more socially appropriate than he was. But only slightly. "Anyway, we need to talk about this." She tossed the book into his hands as she continued to explain. "Chapter thirteen says that Bhunivelze changes its position in the sky and flies towards a volcano over a six month time period, the gravity cores trigger the volcano, and the volcano completely obliterates the planet."

"What?" Caius grunted in surprise.

"And then a ton of natural disasters occur after that. Earthquakes and other volcano eruptions and stuff. Eighty-five percent of the population—human and animal—are killed by all this. That's what brings about the downfall of humanity."

"That wasn't how it was in the end days that I lived in," he said as he shook his head. "In my future, the destruction of mankind was brought about by something else entirely."

"Then we've changed things somehow," Lightning said lowly in realization. They changed something and now humanity was doomed to die in a new way. What could they have done? She supposed it didn't really matter. All that mattered now was stopping this from happening. "Whatever. Let's get to 580 AF. If we can stop the destruction of Bhunivelze, we'll prove to be a serious threat against Etro. She'll need to come out of hiding and face us sooner."

"Agreed. Let's get going."

"But we need a plan before we go."

So they plotted together. It was unfortunate that they only had this one book to use to gain knowledge of Bhunivelze, but they made do with what they had. Fortunately, there were conspiracy theories about how Bhunivelze fell in the pages after the blank one that Lightning stopped at. Some believed that there was a power surge of some kind that reprogrammed the Gravity Core devices and didn't allow them to be changed back to normal. Others believed that demons possessed the devices (an unlikely scenario in Lightning and Caius's perspective. Demons didn't exist). Some crackpots must have come up with something that ridiculous.

The theory that Lightning and Caius put their trust in was the last one. Even if the author made it sound crazy, it wasn't crazy to these two time travelers. The theory said that terrorists broke in and altered the Gravity Core devices so that they would make the planet drift towards that volcano. Nobody looked into that possibility at the time because only a select few people knew the password to access the computers that controlled the Gravity Core devices. And plus, the hackers needed to be on the computers right at the Gravity Cores. There was no possibility that people could slip by five different security points and accomplish this.

That was the most logical theory to her though. Terrorists existed all throughout time. What would stop them from doing such an attack? A little bit of security wasn't going to get in their way. If their intent was the destruction of humanity, then they would go to great lengths to accomplish it.

And because they accepted this account as being what occurred, they were able to formulate a plan. There were five centers on Bhunivelze where the Gravity Cores were running to keep the planet afloat. They just had to crash those on the day that things turned sour, take down whoever created the problem, and then that was that.

"Should we stay here and rest for a while, or should we go?" Caius wondered once they were done planning.

"A little more rest would be good, but we can't rest peacefully here," Lightning stated logically as she looked back to the fallen city. "The goons could turn up again at any point. We can't be vulnerable."

Caius continued to stare at the city, staying silent as he focused on his own thoughts. Though Lightning didn't know it, Caius suspected that those two that attacked her were more than goons. They posed a serious threat if they somehow knew where they were and what they were doing. But at the same time, who would attack them and think they were against saving time? That was exactly what they were doing now by defeating Etro. She was evil and needed to perish. All the lies she put in place to protect herself could no longer shield her as long as he and Lightning knew the truth.

"Caius?"

"Nothing," he said automatically. "Let's go." They were going to go to 580 AF, and hopefully they would wind up in the right month. That would be the case as long as Lightning's heart was set in the right place. Which it had been thus far.

Instead of questioning Caius, Lightning decided to let him keep this secret. If it was important, she would find out about it later. Right now she just wanted to save Bhunivelze. _I want to save the world, _she thought. _I want to save Bhunivelze and make sure that people never have to die in such a terrible way._

The rift appeared to their right. Some strength left her in the creation of it, but it wasn't enough to hinder her in the coming battle. She was ready.

Lightning and Caius shared a look, nodding firmly to each other in silence before they walked through the rift to face the fate of Bhunivelze.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Another week, another chapter! I gotta be honest, I almost forgot to post this today. I was writing a future chapter for this story and got so caught up in it that I only now remembered to update it! xD But anywho, onto the personal stuff. First off, I had a fantastic vacation! Not gonna give many details, but it was magical to say the least. ;3 **

**And to the people asking me what I thought about Requiem of the Goddess—Yeah, I did play it. I downloaded it within an hour of getting home from vacation. xD I don't want to say too much in case people haven't played it, but I will say this: SO MANY FEELS. Both good and bad. After that, they BETTER give us a XIII-3. And they better use the storyline of this story for it, because that'd be epic. xP **

**xxx- If you want to do fanart of Lightning on Bahamut, that'd be terrific! I have no idea where you would post it though…So if any of you other readers out there have ideas, feel free to share them! Also glad you are so excited about the story and rereading stuff. It's SO encouraging to know my work is good enough for people to do that! You asked if Caius dies if Etro is killed, and the answer is that Etro's death will not cause Caius's. After all, he doesn't have her heart within him anymore; he's human again. And I pray I become an author too! I'd be THRILLED to spend my life writing. ;3**

**i- You had a lot of questions in there! xD I'll answer a few. First off, Caius and Lightning aren't going to run into Noel and Serah at all in this journey, because if they did, it could change the reality Etro worked so hard on. She prevents Lightning and Caius from going to the exact moments when their allies are there, except for 500 AF (which was explained last chapter, if I remember correctly). You also asked a bunch of shipping questions. xDD I don't pair Light and Hope together—they are more like siblings to me. I don't pair anyone with Hope, really. **

**I think those are all the personal issues I needed to address. So, that's it for today! See you guys later, and keep being awesome, because you guys are by far the best fanbase I've EVER had. I LOVE YOU ALL (no, that's not extreme. You guys are seriously, SERIOUSLY that great). **

**Peanut**


	12. Chapter 12: Bhunivelze

Chapter Twelve: Bhunivelze

For once, Lightning and Caius actually showed up exactly where they planned to. Just outside one of the main cities of Bhunivelze. Far enough away from civilization that their appearance wasn't noticed, but close enough that they could reach the city very quickly. And judging by the prosperity of it all, she assumed that they arrived in the correct year.

"This is it," Lightning breathed, looking at the lively city. This city had one of the gravity core centers. The five centers were spread out strategically across the planet, so they'd have to hit each one quickly in order to hurry to the next one. She predicted that she would steal some cars and Caius would turn into Chaos Bahamut and scare the crap out of anyone who was looking up at the sky and saw him. But it didn't matter, not today. Today they needed to save the world.

"Okay," she said after a moment. She quickly turned her gaze to Caius, seeing his also land on her. "I'll go here. You head to the west."

"And then I'll head towards the city north of that one," he stated with a nod. "I understand."

"We'll meet up at the fifth one. We need to do whatever we can to stop this from happening." If they didn't, the Gravity Core computers would be reprogrammed and the planet would go drifting towards an active volcano and cause an apocalypse. No way were they about to let that happen. "Just don't kill anybody important and don't destroy anything."

"Right," Caius agreed, nodding firmly. Lightning knew that though Caius once wished to destroy everything, he wouldn't do that today. Today he was going to be a savior, and so was she. It was time they both did something other than destroy.

"Caius." Lightning lifted her hand, outstretching it towards her ally. "Good luck."

Caius accepted her hand, grasping it firmly as he nodded in response. "To you as well."

They both stared into each other's eyes for another moment before they took back their hands and ran off in their separate directions. Today depended on a lot. They had to trust that the other would accomplish what needed to be done. But they also had to realize the danger of this. They had no idea who these terrorists were that they were going to face or how harmful they could be. This could be their last stand, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

Lightning sprinted into the city, desperately wishing that she could still summon Odin and ride on his back. But he betrayed her by being more loyal to the goddess than to Lightning. She reached the outskirts of the town and saw a car, which was unlocked. The poor sap wouldn't know what hit them. She snuck into it, hotwired it, and then sped off into the city to reach her destination.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Caius had turned into Chaos Bahamut in order to fly to the other city. Once he reached it, he turned into himself again and ran into it, ducking into dark alleyways until he reached the building that was shown in the history book. That was the place where one of the Gravity Cores was being kept. Lightning was right in her assumption that there would be security around the area, but she was also correct in believing that it wasn't as heavy as it should have been. Today they were going to be victim to a terrorist attack.

Or an attempt at an attack. _I cannot believe I'm actually doing this, _he thought as he ducked into the building, past some guards. _I'm actually being the savior to humanity. The irony is killing me. _He who once was set out to destroy all things was now saving it all, and alongside the person he once considered to be his greatest adversary. _Fate is toying with me. _

Whether it was toying with him or not, he still had the same task today. And he would not fail. Up ahead of him, he saw the center of the compound. It was amazing how easily he slipped past the guards.

Apparently somebody else had no trouble getting by the guards as well. A figure in all black was standing before the computer, so immersed in it that he didn't notice Caius in the same room as him. All the better for Caius. He approached quickly and silently, not bothering to take his hefty sword off of his back. If he wielded the weapon and caused major damage to anything but the person, the computer could malfunction.

The figure turned around just as soon as Caius was behind him. His face met Caius's fist, and there was enough force behind that one punch to send him falling towards the ground. "Easy enough," Caius grunted. But now he wanted to see who this person was. He knelt down and turned the figure over, glancing at his face. Shockingly, he knew him. That was the last thing that he wanted.

Caius stood up and kicked him out of the way so that he could look at the computer. Everything was still in order; the hacker hadn't had the chance to do any damage. But he feared that they wouldn't be able to reach the other stations quickly enough.

For that reason, he pushed the red button to the right of the keyboard and triggered an alarm. "That ought to attract guards to all the stations," he said to himself, hearing the alarm blaring. Glancing back at the computer, he saw a message. "_All Gravity Core Stations in lockdown. See superior for override code." Perfect. Now there's only one more matter to take care of… _

A voice suddenly sounded from the computer_. "Caius?" _

Caius smirked faintly to himself. "On the same page once again," he muttered at Lightning's voice. The fact that she was trying to communicate with him meant that she was at her first station. He pressed a button on the computer, turning on a microphone. "Yes," he said.

"_Did you just set off an alarm?" _Lightning asked.

"I did," he confirmed. "I thought it would make our jobs easier. We can leave it to the Academy now."

"_I don't trust them completely. It looks like there's still something going on at the Delta Core Reactor."_

"How can you tell?"

"_I got into a program on the computer before you triggered the alarm, and I was able to see that station is more vulnerable than the others. That or the perpetrator was just further along. Either way, I think we should check it out."_

"Alright," he agreed. "We'll meet there. Don't get yourself arrested."

"_Hmph," _Lightning hummed in brief amusement. _"You too."_

That was all the communication that was needed. Caius glanced at the hacker one more time, only to realize that he was gone. He grunted, eyes darting around the room. The sound of rushing feet entered his ears. Distant, and in great number. It wasn't the trouble maker; it was the army, coming to see what the alarm went off for.

He ducked into the shadows the same way that he entered and fled the area, knowing that he couldn't get caught. He had a bad feeling about whoever waited for them at the final reactor.

*…*…*…*…*…*

It wasn't easy for Lightning to slip past all the soldiers that were rushing into the reactor that she was at, but she managed to escape them unnoticed. Heck, she even managed to slip into the car she stole at the start of all this and drive away from the scene without bringing any attention to herself. Now all that she could do was hope that Caius had the same luck. Or skill, rather, since she wasn't a big believer in luck. Fang always thought she saw Lady Luck in the past, but if anything, it was Lady _Bad_Luck, as Sazh used to say. The random thought of her friends surprised her, but she shoved away the thoughts in favor of the battle at hand as she sped through the skies in the hover car.

Sneaking into her first center was easy enough, and so was taking down the goon. One punch to the face did the job. But he had been wearing a mask and she hadn't bothered to take it off and see who he was in the rush of things. All that mattered was that he was going to be apprehended by the government and taken care of so that he could never threaten Bhunivelze again. And the same went for the other four who were trying to hack the other computers. If they were smart, they would flee and abandon their mission before the guards reached them.

Maybe they would, but Lightning just had a bad feeling in her gut about this last reactor that she was speeding towards. The skies were empty and the car travelled much faster than any device she had ever driven before. Already she was out of the first city and flying north towards the final reactor. Hopefully she beat the man who was trying to hack the computer there. He was further along, closer to causing the serious damage. If Lightning didn't make it in time, hopefully Caius did. He'd do what was necessary.

After what felt like a very long time, Lightning lowered the hover car right outside the main Gravity Core complex. The area was deathly silent. _Something's wrong. _

Throwing caution to the wind, Lightning rushed inside the building and ran down the main hallway. Her concerns were right on, because the sight that greeted her wasn't a pleasant one. This perpetrator didn't sneak past the guards; he **killed **them. All of them. He must have been the leader of the group if he was able to show off this kind of strength. Lightning skidded to a halt by one of the dead guards, blinking when she noticed something lying on the ground.

A broken arrow.

"Who would use a bow and arrow when technology is this advanced?" she muttered in confusion.

She chose not to dwell on the idea for long. Standing back up, she sprinted down the hall again in the direction she needed to go. Whoever this person was, she'd discover it when she reached the main core and its computer. If she wasn't too late. She prayed to some kind of good force in the world that she wouldn't be. She and Caius couldn't fail Bhunivelze like they failed Serah and Yeul…They couldn't. That heartbreak would be unbearable.

Lightning still didn't bother being stealthy as she entered the computer room, which was a huge circular room with the computer sitting in front of a large machine that held the Gravity Core. Just like the place that she had been to earlier. Only this time, there was nobody standing in front of the computer.

"No," she panted, rushing forward to the computer. Her eyes darted over the screen, and though she expected the screen to show that the Gravity Core had been hacked and reprogrammed, it didn't. Everything was as it should have been. She sighed heavily in relief, shaking her head. She made it in time. Caius had been right to set off the alarm; that was probably what stopped this person from hacking the system further. His quick thinking had saved the planet.

And now her quick thinking was about to save her. Not a single sound was made, but she sensed another person in the room who wasn't an ally. She spun around just as an arrow was sent flying at her, and with reflexes that took years to perfect, she yanked out her sword and protected not only herself, but the computer. The arrow bounced off the gunblade, dropping to the ground. Though she could have shot back at the person, her blue eyes only glared at the figure in all black and had the mask on his face.

"Who are you?" she asked lowly, pointing her gun at him.

He didn't answer.

"You and your men have failed," Lightning stated confidently. "The police have surely arrested them all by now. Unlike you, they only snuck by security instead of killing them. Which makes you special. You must be the leader if you've given yourself the authority to kill everyone who stood in your way."

"Intelligent," the man responded.

"Inductive reasoning. The only thing that I can't figure out is who you are." She nodded faintly, motioning to him with her sword. "Take off the ski-mask."

"Gladly." He lowered his bow down to his side, lifting his free hand to his face as he took off the black ski mask that had previously kept his face hidden from her.

As soon as she saw his face, her eyes widened. Smooth blond hair, pulled back in a ponytail. Eyes bright and green, a well chiseled jaw, and a furrowed brow. She had met him before. "You…" she started, surprised. He was the chief of the village of New Paddra! Averia's husband. What was his name-?

"Corin," a new voice growled lowly. Caius stepped out of the shadows, having just arrived there. "What brings you so far away from home?"

"You mean to a city instead of the village?" Corin responded evenly.

"You know _exactly _what I mean," Caius said menacingly, his hefty sword in his hand as he glared at Corin.

"Ah, you're wondering how I am in a time where I was not yet even born," Corin figured, though he knew all along what it was that Caius and Lightning wanted to know. "The goddess has blessed us."

"Blessed?" Lightning repeated. _Normally Etro's "blessings" are curses. What did she "bless" him and his men with?_

"Yes. The goddess knew that her Guardian Caius betrayed her, so she gifted those who are loyal to her with great power. Including the power to jump through time to stop those who stand against her."

"So this is the force Etro has raised against us," Caius laughed. "Pitiful that a goddess would get so desperate to recruit men such as you."

"I was weak before the goddess touched me," Corin confessed as he glared down at the ground. "I was not strong enough to save my wife when that day came, and I was not strong enough to see you as the monster that you are. You did away with Yeul-"

"He was set up!" Lightning interrupted, angry. She stared down at Corin as several yards remained between them, her gunblade raised. "Caius protected Yeul with every fiber of his being, only to have the goddess wipe her out of existence."

"Lies! The goddess would never dispel her servants like that!"

"Wake up and smell the chocobo dung!" she continued to scold. "Is any god or goddess actually good? Have you read up on your history at all? All the gods and goddesses want to destroy humanity! Etro even sent you here today to do that."

"The goddess sent me and my men here to carry out her divine will," Corin said lowly, calmer than Lightning now. "She has a reason for all things, even this. I will carry out her will no matter what. It is for that reason that she chose me as her servant. She knows I will not fail her."

"Well, you already have," Caius inserted. "You and your men failed twice in a row now."

"Twice?"

"Today, you failed to send Bhunivelze towards the volcano today and you also failed to hurt us in the other Academia.

_That was them? _Lightning thought, eyes narrowing further as she glared at Corin. She should have known.

"I am not surprised you figured it out, Caius ballad," Corin said with a smirk. "However, it matters not."

"If you believe that you will eventually complete your goal you are wrong. You won't be gaining any second chances."

"We don't need a second chance. Only time."

"Time for what?"

"Time for the goddess to destroy the world as it was originally intended to die."

Caius grunted. He knew what this meant.

"Caius?" Lightning asked, shifting her eyes to him while keeping her gun aimed at Corin. What was he referring to?

"Remember how we kept going to time periods with dragons?"

"Yeah…?"

"Well we're now in a time period with five of them."

Lightning grunted. Five dragons, in one time period. This was how Bhunivelze was originally going to be destroyed? By dragons?

"They'll burn this world to a crisp," Corin laughed. "The remaining Gravity Core ashes will spread with the ashes of the world and cause sickness to all. Only the strong will survive."

_Like fifteen percent of the population,_ Lightning thought bitterly. That was how many were supposed to survive this day.

"I dare you to try and stop them," Corin continued with a snicker. "The dragons all are hovering by the Tebros Mountain. Surely they will come to destroy this world soon, but perhaps the goddess will smile upon you and allow you to try and stop the inevitable."

"You mean she'll let the dragons kill us instead of letting you do it," Lightning spat.

"I wish that she would give me the pleasure, but the dragons will do the job just as well. And now, I bid you farewell."

Corin was suddenly swallowed by an orange and black rift, disappearing from this time. Lightning didn't bother thinking about it. "Caius," she said quickly, looking over at him as she put her weapon back in its case. "We need to stop them, right away."

"We can plan as we run," he grunted, putting away his weapon as well. "Let's go."

Lightning and Caius both exited the way that they came in, not saying a word to each other. The first step in planning was brainstorming the basics. Lightning had a history of strategizing in the army; her sharp wit made her earn favor rather quickly in the eyes of her superiors. She knew that wit wouldn't fail her today. _Five dragons. Circling a mountain. Probably in the air, so either Caius and I fight from the ground or we take to the skies as well. But if we take to the skies, how do we fight? My gunblade can't do serious damage…And Caius can't do all the fighting. Not against five of them. How the heck are we supposed to do this?_

One thing was for certain: if they faced all five of the dragons head on, it would be suicide. That was what Etro, Corin, and their other allies wanted. They needed to be sneaky about this somehow. Take out one dragon at a time.

"Caius," Lightning panted as they ran outside the building. "Get in the car."

"Forget it," he grunted. "I can fly much more quickly."

"But we haven't had time to strategize."

"The dragons will be flying, so we need to strike from the air," he assumed, his thinking the same as Lightning's. "I'll fly and you attack."

"With what?"

"My sword, Ragnarok."

"Wait, what?" she said in confusion. His sword?

"My sword does not have to vanish when I transform into Chaos Bahamut," he explained, stopping Lightning from running further by putting a hand on her shoulder. He stopped, staring at her as he continued speaking his thoughts. "Use my sword and if we do this right, we can knock them out one by one."

"You'll fly close to them and I'll slit them open with your sword?"

"Do as you please," he said simply. "Just as long as it does not create a ruckus and bring the other dragons' attention to us."

"Okay," she agreed. "Let's get this show on the road." It was a good thing that she had wielded his sword before and done so well with it. She would need to utilize that skill today and defeat the dragons. If she and Caius failed at this, the world was over. Literally. Etro would get her way and the deaths would allow her gate to open fully. The chaos would flow in and change this world to Valhalla instead of just having Valhalla's shadow lingering in the distance as an illusion.

Caius transformed into Chaos Bahamut and knelt down to that Lightning could jump onto his back easier. Once she grabbed the weapon that was lying on the ground next to Caius, she did just that. She climbed up onto his back, feeling very small and insignificant compared to him. But they both knew that she was anything but insignificant. Caius took to the skies and they were soaring towards their destination. Lightning clung to his back, teeth clenched at the cold air biting at her skin. Her comfort hardly mattered at this point, or ever. Comfort and happiness were two luxuries she could not afford.

They were quickly out of that city and flying out to the wilderness, where fields turned into forests and forests turned into mountains. It wasn't hard to see a few specks flying in the air from the distance. Those were some of the dragons, and they were simply flying around, waiting for something within them to snap and tell them to destroy all of humanity.

"I see two on this side of the mountain," Lightning said lowly to Caius, moving herself a little closer to his head so she didn't have to speak loudly. Dragons had a good sense of hearing. "If you fly above the clouds, I can drop down on one of them and destroy them right away. You take care of the other one and catch me when you're done."

A low growl from Caius—one of agreement—was her response.

"Okay," she said. "Higher up."

Caius flew up higher, vanishing into the white clouds of the sky. Lightning shivered when the moisture of the clouds touched her already freezing skin. But her eyes burned with intensity despite the cold. Glaring down through the white fog of the clouds, she tried to pinpoint the two dragons that were on this side of the mountain. One was closer than the other, nearly directly below.

"Alright," she mumbled to Caius. It was time that they did their ambush. "Now!" She released him as she rose to her feet, jumping off his back and falling headfirst towards her target. He soared another direction, towards the other dragon that they needed to take down. Her focus was on herself; she trusted that he would be able to do the job.

As she neared the dragon that was flying directly below her, it noticed her. He turned his head up to look at her but it was too late. Lightning gripped Ragnarok with both hands, flipping herself in midair as she brought down the weapon. With a mighty battle cry, she stabbed the red dragon in the back. The dragon that she now stood on wasn't the only one who quaked and cried out in agony.

Caius did as well. Lightning grunted at the familiar cry, eyes darting upward as she tried to keep her balance on her dragon. He was dying slowly, starting to descend. This was the part where Caius was supposed to swoop in and catch her, but he failed to kill his own dragon. Instead, he was being pursued and attacked by four of them. One of them already put a nasty gash on his arm.

"Caius?" Lightning grunted in worry. But soon she had something else to worry about. The green dragon pursuing Caius suddenly drove off his path and soared for her, mouth wide open as he inhaled. He was gathering breath to breathe fire.

She had a split second to make her decision. Only a split second between life and death. Lightning yanked Ragnarok out of her dying dragon and jumped as the other dragon sent its fiery breath at where she had previously been standing. The flames licked at her, her skin prickling because of the heat. But she would rather fall than burn to death. Hopefully falling wouldn't cause her death either. She snapped her fingers to activate her Gravity Con device to soften her landing.

It didn't turn on. Somehow it was broken.

_Looks like I'm falling to my death after all, _she thought in panic.

She was only a hundred feet away from the ground when she suddenly impacted something that she hadn't seen coming. She landed on her stomach roughly, grunting as she fought to keep her grip on Ragnarok. Something just swooped in and caught her. The young woman opened her eyes, seeing the dark skin of the beast beneath her. Caius saved the day.

Lightning couldn't even find her breath to give him thanks. He flew higher up in the sky, forcing her to hold on more tightly as he shifted the angle of his body. Glancing behind, she saw three dragons in pursuit. The remains of two dragons laid on the ground.

"Two down, three to go," she panted mostly to herself. "Caius, are you alright?"

He gave off a low moan. He was wounded.

"Stay with me," she said, grasping Ragnarok more tightly as she focused on her healing abilities. _Heal what has been hurt, _she prayed silently, feeling warmth and strength leave her as she sent multiple spells towards the beast that saved her. She hoped that they did some good. She did all that she felt she could do before she glanced back at the pursuing dragons once again. "Fly above them if you can," she advised. "I'll jump on one." It didn't matter if she drew attention to herself or not. This was a serious situation, so risks needed to be taken.

Though Caius secretly worried, he obeyed because he had the same logic as Lightning. He suddenly changed course, veering higher and higher into the sky before flying horizontally in circles. The other dragons, though confused, followed suit below him.

_Okay. _Lightning grunted, throwing herself off of Caius again. She flew directly at one of the dragons, who was unprepared. She swung the blade at his neck, slicing it deeply as she continued falling further in the sky. Shockingly, another jade dragon was in her path. She grunted, pulling back Ragnarok and slicing at its forehead. With a mighty screech, the dragon roared in pain. Using the last of its strength, it swung its claw at Lightning and struck her hard.

The ex soldier cried out in pain, also being launched downwards toward the ground. She wouldn't land in the forest on rocks; she was sent to the very edge of the mountain, where it met with the sand and the ocean. She landed in the sand without anything to soften the blow, knocking her head hard against the ground. Ragnarok dropped out of her hand as she lay on her stomach, writhing in pain. "No," she grunted, squeezing her eyes shut. She couldn't give into the wounds and pass out!

A roar in the sky echoed in her ears, one that urged her to lift her head and gaze up yonder. She saw Caius and the remaining yellow dragon, swinging at it mercilessly with his glowing claw. But the dragon had a move as well. The yellow dragon extended his claw and scratched the front of Caius, digging in deep and bringing a roar out of Lightning's friend. Worry for her own health faded at his cry of pain. _Caius…_

Caius regained control. He opened his mouth and sent out a beam, piercing that final dragon and causing his death immediately. The yellow dragon fluttered to the ground, his remains landing near the edge of the forest.

Bahamut, however, flew closer to the sandy shore and landed not so gracefully there. A cloud of darkness surrounded him as he transformed into his true self, a human. The human being that was Caius stood only a few yards away from Lightning when he landed, so he stumbled the remaining steps over to her before he fell onto his back, panting and wounded.

"Are you alright?" he panted in pain, glancing over at Lightning.

"Yeah," she managed, though she wasn't sure. "You?"

"Yes."

It was a lie. She could tell that he was hurting just as badly as she was. His eyes were falling shut as he faded away from being conscious. Her eyes began to flicker shut as well.

"We did it, Caius," she said hoarsely, gazing at him as he fell into unconsciousness. "We did it." And then she joined him in the world of sleep.

***…*…*…*…*…***

**Well that was an intense, action-packed chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it. ;3 I realized that last time I responded to some of the reviews, I forgot to answer some of the questions I was more looking forward to answering! So I'm gonna do that right now. :)**

**What first came to my mind when I first saw Lightning and Caius—I seriously thought they were going to be more personal rivals than what they were. I mean, standing back to back in that promo, with their hands so close to each others as if they could have been holding them at one point—Ugh, come on SE, they should have had a relationship or something to make the battle more personal than "Oh hey, I'm Caius, I wanna destroy the world" and "Oh hey, I'm Lightning, I wanna save the world. Seriously. On that note, I expected a lot more of Lightning than XIII-2 offered. I imagined Valhalla being an epic dungeon, but alas, they didn't do that. ): Those are my feels/thoughts/expectations that shattered as soon as I played the game.**

**Ok, onto this week's reviews: **

**Ballad Jr: You called me "Bro", but I'm actually a girl. xP And Lightning doesn't have to tell Caius her real name, because he already knows it (through the events that unfolded in that chapter and because he knows some details about Lightning already. He gathered some info to try and find a weakness in her.) Thanks, I will keep up the awesome work! xD**

**Jchongmeeluk: "How does Caius still have Bahamut but Lightning not have Odin?" Good question; I actually hadn't explained that at all. Basically, Caius IS Chaos Bahamut and Chaos Bahamut IS Caius. But in the case of Lightning, she isn't Odin and Odin isn't her. They weren't ever merged the way that Caius and Chaos Bahamut were so that Caius could transform into him. Does that make sense? **

**xxx- I look forward to seeing the fanart! I'm still in awe that my writing could inspire people to do something like that, so thanks for making me feel successful/special! **

**Hana-chan98- My username is indeed Peanut because I have a huge love of peanuts. xD Like, the food, not the Charlie Brown cartoons (though they are awesome too). One of the lead singers of my favorite band (Skillet) also has an obsession with peanuts. In the band podcasts, he just randomly cries out "I AM A PEANUT!" and it makes me laugh every time. xD So that is also a part of my name. **

**That's it for this week guys! I may start posting chapters a little more often at this point since I've worked very far ahead, but only if you guys promise to keep being awesome and review each chapter! I love you all!**

**Peanut**


	13. Chapter 13: Etro

Chapter Thirteen: Etro

The sound of ocean waves was what filled Lightning's ears as she fell asleep, and it was also what filled them as she began to awaken from her slumber. She groaned shortly into the sand, though it wasn't because of pain. In fact, she felt like all of her wounds from the battle against the dragons were completely gone.

Lightning curled her hands into fists, grasping the sand beneath her as she laid on her stomach. Unlike the sand that she landed on earlier, this sand was cold. Night must have fallen. That explained the coolness of the air as well. She slowly lifted herself up off the ground, daring to open her eyes after a few moments. She grunted.

This wasn't the shores of Tebros Mountain on Bhunivelze.

This was—

"Valhalla."

She quickly picked herself up, eyes darting around the shoreline. "Caius?" she called automatically, her eyes searching everywhere for him. There was absolutely no sign of him even if he passed out only a few feet away from her on the shores of Bhunivelze. No footprints in the sand to show that he left her there and wandered off. No Ragnarok laying in the sand like Lightning had left it before. No nothing.

_Etro must have brought me here, _Lightning thought as she furrowed her eyebrows. Etro brought her there but didn't kill her…Why? It didn't matter. Etro keeping her alive and within range of her was a big mistake. It was going to cost Etro her life today, because whether Lightning had Caius by her side or not, she was going to kill the goddess who dared to curse and kill her little sister. She gritted her teeth in fury and grief, sprinting towards the city. _You'll pay Etro. I swear. I will avenge Serah and save the family that I've got left. Hope, Snow, Sazh…even Noel. They're my family now. And you won't be taking them away from me too. _

Her feet pounded on the ground that turned to concrete as she left the beach. No other sounds echoed throughout the city to cover her, but she didn't care. If Etro hadn't brought her there, she had to at least know that Lightning washed upon her shores. Caius still lingered in the back of her mind because she was nervous about facing Etro alone, or so she told herself. It wasn't like she was worried about his own safety. No, of course not.

She reached the main temple and ran up countless sets of stairs just to reach the place where Etro resided. While still outside of the throne room, she dared to catch her breath and gaze over the city. The last time she was in this position, she was Etro's knight. Her protector. Her _fool. _

Her breath regained, Lightning entered the throne room. It was exactly as she remembered it to be. A divine light shone into the room lightly, covering nearly all of it in glory despite how there was no gold or jewels. Nobody could question that this place housed a goddess. Especially not with the crystal throne that sat in the center of the room, far out of Lightning's reach.

Empty.

_Empty, _she grunted, hands curling into fists. She thought that Etro would have been sitting on her throne. It was an empty throne last time that Lightning was there, but Etro regained all her power since that day. She should have been there. Lightning was certain of it.

Lightning's blue eyes darted around the area, looking for some sign of the goddess. For any sign of humanity or company. Yet the world felt as empty as ever. Until—

She suddenly felt her head burning. Not literally burning with fire, but the heat felt like it was going to make her head explode. She muted a cry, lifting a hand to her head as her vision turned completely white. She wished the pain would end and death would take her, but instead, divine light filled the room completely and overwhelmed Lightning with its presence.

The girl fell down to her knees, glaring back at the throne through squinted eyes. Barely able to see, she was still able to pick out a white glowing figure that now sat on the throne. "Et-ro…" she whispered hoarsely, falling down on her side as the searing pain continued.

A single laugh left the goddess's lips. That was the last thing Lightning heard before she collapsed and fell into darkness.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Caius too awoke to the sound of ocean waves and to the cool air that was Valhalla. Only he had washed up on the opposite shore and regained consciousness after Lightning had awoken on her side. Unaware of her, he decided to believe that she was fine and safe on Bhunivelze before he transformed into Chaos Bahamut and flew to Etro's sanctuary. It was time for the goddess to face his wrath.

He landed just outside the temple in his human form, keeping his weapon Ragnarok on his back. The city was deathly silent. No monsters wandered around and from the air, there was no sign of Etro or Lightning. The former was probably inside. Caius took in a breath, preparing himself to face the goddess who stole Yeul away from him. He was not prepared for what was in his sight when he ran into the temple area.

There, lying on the ground before the throne of Etro, was an unconscious comrade.

"Lightning!" Caius grunted, rushing forward to the fallen warrior. He knelt down behind her, an arm draping around her upper back as he lifted her off her side and closer to him. "Lightning?" he studied her face, his eyes dancing over her expression. It was full of pain, yet he saw no physical wounds.

"I never believed I would see the great Caius Ballad care about anyone other than Yeul," an airy, divine voice said. Caius lifted his gaze without dropping Lightning, eyes narrowing when he saw a figure sitting on the throne. It was Etro, and she was glowing with a white light so that he couldn't see her face. Only her radiance and power. "You have not forsaken your quest to avenge Yeul, have you warrior?"

_Of course not, _he mentally growled, gritting his teeth. But he asked a question of his own instead of humoring the goddess. "What did you do?"

"I stopped her before she could attack me," Etro said absently.

"Why didn't you just kill her?"

"I have my reasons," she said, her tone showing that she was smiling faintly.

"And why won't you do the same to me?"

She laughed. "So many questions. Are you truly willing to listen to the answers?"

Caius remained silent, glaring at the bright figure. Maybe he was, and maybe he wasn't. It all depended on what Etro had to say. He planned on defeating her, but if she disabled Lightning so easily, he feared that he didn't stand a chance against her either.

"That is the best response I could hope for, I suppose. I wish to speak to you, Caius, my faithful warrior."

"I'm no longer faithful to you," he snarled, tightening his grasp on Lightning subconsciously. "You killed Yeul."

"You do not understand my divine purpose," she sighed.

"I only understand your cruelty. You've displayed that much already, whether it is with Yeul or Lightning." He nodded his head towards her without looking down to witness her pain filled expression again. It made him feel uneasy.

"I have something I want to show you, Caius."

"What?" he snapped.

The divine glow around Etro vanished, and for the first time ever, he was able to witness her human form. She was slender and beautiful, wearing a full length dress that was the purest white that he had ever witnessed. Her hair was a smooth blonde, running a few inches past her shoulders. But her eyes…Bright green…He recognized them.

"Impossible," he whispered. This woman, though her hair was longer than it was when Caius saw her last, was obviously the young woman that Caius knew in the past. Averia.

Averia smiled warmly down at the man. "Hello Caius. Miss me?"

"How…?" he grunted in confusion.

"How did I, Averia of New Paddra, become Etro?" she filled in. "It's a very interesting story. I'll be happy to fill you in. I have always been Etro, not that I knew it back then. I lived my normal life in New Paddra as the sister of Yeul and the wife of the chief, Corin. In my mortal state, I had no idea that I was really Etro. I viewed her—or myself, really—with contempt. Yeul had my eyes, and with my eyes, she saw visions that ended up killing her. I was angry and prayed to Etro to take away the curse, but ended up dying that same day.

"Once I was dead, my spirit passed to Valhalla. An enemy of the goddess Etro found me on its shores. That god, Bhunivelze, gave me Etro's power in hopes that I would be a more just goddess than she was. But I was Etro all along. I was Etro before I stood in time and afterward. The only reason that I was mortal Averia was in New Paddra 600 AF was because I had fought the god Bhunivelze and lost."

"Mortality was your punishment for losing against the god Bhunivelze," he grunted in understanding. "But he did not know that he gave the power right back to you, the same Etro that he defeated before?"

"Very intelligent, Caius," Etro nodded. "Yes, that is all correct. But my throne was never empty. I sat outside of time even while Averia lived her life. I was the one who sent Long Gui to bring her back to Valhalla so that I could regain my spot on the throne."

"And what of Yeul?" he challenged. "You still had her cursed! The Averia I knew would have never allowed Yeul to keep that curse."

"Yeul needed to have my eyes in order for the world to end," she explained. "If Yeul did not suffer, you would not try to destroy the world as I wanted. Once you failed me, I knew that removing Yeul from existence was the best form of punishment for you."

"You didn't care for her at all?" he roared in fury.

"No," Etro said evenly. "I did not."

"And what of the Heart of Chaos that you gave me?" he asked through his teeth. Why did Etro "gift" him with immortality?

"For one thing, I knew you would come after me some day. With my heart, you gained strength that you could actually destroy the world and release my Chaos. Another was that I gave you the heart right after Bhunivelze defeated me. My heart was safe within you because he could not enter your realm. So thank you, for keeping it safe for me until the time when you had Noel release it and return it to me."

Caius steamed. Averia was Etro. Etro caused all of this to happen. She cursed Yeul to use Caius. Then she gave him the heart for the same reason. As long as he brought about the end of the world, she didn't care about anyone. "Setting me against you was a large mistake," he growled lowly, regaining himself. "Lightning as well. We are going to cause your demise."

"Says the human man who is holding a fallen warrior in his arms," Etro mocked with a small laugh. "You two cannot defeat me. I only need you to run around your world a bit longer so that I can raise more enemies such as Corin against you. They shall kill you and I shall have the end of the world through my servants. It would be wise, Caius, if you joined me."

_Join you? _he repeated to himself, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Do you not want the world to be a place with no death?" she asked sweetly. Etro vanished from her spot on the throne, reappearing on the same level as Caius and Lightning. She walked over towards the two of them, kneeling down next to Caius as she lightly put her fingertips against his jaw. "Do you not wish that no other human had to go through the pain and suffering that you experienced? There is no death here, Caius. No _suffering. _Join me and we can take away all the suffering of the world…"

Caius stared at her as Lightning remained in his arms. A world without suffering. No death. _No life either. _"Averia…" he said quietly, lifting a hand towards her cheek as he continued speaking to her. Her green eyes shone back at him, showing hope that he would join her cause and be her soldier. "You are an entity who only knows destruction and selfishness. And I pity you."

Now that his hand was closer to his weapon, he had no trouble grabbing his sword off of his back before Etro could react. He pulled it off, swinging at her without losing his hold on Lightning. Ragnarok struck her, sending her flying back into a pillar. Though it would have been wise for Caius to strike her while she was done, he didn't.

Swiftly, Caius put his sword onto his back once more. He put his other arm underneath Lightning's legs and picked her up, eyes darting around the area as he held her close protectively. "An exit," he growled into the air. They needed an exit!

Fulfilling his greatest desire, a rift appeared to his left. He ran through it, leaving Valhalla. He didn't care where they ended up, just as long as it was out of Valhalla and away from Etro. Actually, that wasn't true. What he wanted most was a safe place.

A safe place was what they got. Caius exited the Historia Crux the first chance that he could get and walked out onto solid ground. It was an area that he was familiar with, but he was not expecting to turn up here.

He and Lightning arrived in the Bresha Woods, one of the first places that they visited. The year was 110 AF and everything was as it should have been. The woods were green and healthy, no monsters were hiding in the woods, and the nearby river was flowing softly as the moon shone down on them.

Caius glanced around with caution, though he knew that this was a safe place. They wouldn't have wound up here otherwise. He looked down at the young warrior in his arms, seeing how…fragile, she looked. For the first time since he had met her, Lightning actually looked vulnerable and small. Her expression was still twisted in pain. Without thinking, he swore at Etro. What did that goddess do to Lightning to make her like this?

Uncomfortable and disturbed at the sight of his ally being in pain, Caius knew that it was time that she awoke. "Lightning," he called softly, shaking her ever so slightly. _Come out of this state. _But she didn't respond to him in the slightest. His worry spiked. Yet he kept his composure. He walked closer to the water, kneeling down right along the edge of the river. He kept one arm around Lightning's shoulders as he set her down on the ground. The only reason that she was kept sitting upright was because she was against his arm and the knee that he had propped up.

He leaned closer to the water, reaching in with his free hand and cupping some of the water within it. Caius brought that hand to her face, wetting her cheek in order to awaken her. Finally, he got a wince of a response. "Lightning," he called again, his eyes stuck on her.

"Caius," Lightning muttered, eyebrows furrowed as she remained in his support. "Where are we?"

"The Bresha Woods. One hundred ten After Fall. We're safe here." _So take your time recovering._

Lightning nodded faintly against his arm, eyes remaining shut. "What happened?"

"I found you before Etro's throne. You were unconscious when I arrived. I got you out of there."

"How?"

"I created a rift."

Lightning opened her eyes. The look within their blue depths showed that she still felt a little dazed, but she was completely aware of what he just said. Caius made his first rift. His strongest desire had not been bringing back Yeul (which was impossible) but to get Lightning to safety. The significance was not lost upon her. "Thank you," she muttered as her eyes fell shut again.

Even if she couldn't see him, Caius nodded to her. "Rest," he said quietly. "We are safe here."

Instead of putting Lightning down so that she could lay on the ground, Caius continued to support her with his arm, and she allowed herself to stay in that position. She leaned her head forward so her chin was barely above her chest, the wind faintly blowing her pink hair. Caius felt unnerved. _Very _unnerved. Etro had said that she never believed she would see Caius care for anyone but Yeul. And she was right in assuming that, because he never pictured himself being concerned for anyone else either. Yet he was concerned for Lightning. His friend.

**Friend. **He and Lightning had an argument at the very start of this, and she said that as long as he was cold and antagonizing, he would never have a real friend. And he laughed at her when she implied that she could be his friend. He had thought it was absurd. Yet here he was now, keeping watch over her as she faded into unconsciousness. A faithful ally would do that, but would a faithful ally continue holding her in their arms instead of lying her down in the grass? No, he knew that this was beyond what he was expected to do as her ally. He was something more now. And Lightning must have viewed him the same if she was willing to lose consciousness in his arms. _She trusted him. _After all the things they went through in the past, she actually trusted him.

"I will not let you down," he swore quietly, certain that she was unconscious as he gazed at her. "Not as I failed Yeul." He cared about what happened to her now. He cared if she was in pain or not. Because she did not deserve pain. She was played for a fool all her life by those who thought they could take advantage of her. The same way that he was played by Etro. He knew how that felt and sympathized with her. Not pitied her—there was a difference. Lightning may have accepted sympathy and not pity. He knew he wouldn't accept the latter.

"…You didn't fail Yeul," Lightning said after a few moments without moving. Caius grunted. She was awake. "Etro killed her. There was no way you could have stopped that."

"I allowed the goddess to regain power by having Noel stab me and release the heart. I am partially to blame."

"You didn't take a sword and kill Yeul yourself," she said. "As long as you didn't do that, you're not responsible. Don't ever forget that."

"Why are you so resolute on the topic, Lightning?" he dared to ask in curiosity.

"Because," Lightning responded quietly. "I know guilt."

Caius didn't bother asking Lightning to elaborate. He knew much of her past, up from when she became a l'cie to the current day. He understood that she felt a lot of guilt for not believing that Serah was cursed. She chased her sister away that day and she wound up being captured. That was probably something Lightning could never fully forgive herself for, even today.

"You should rest," he urged after a few seconds.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Staying awake when you should sleep."

"Yeah, well, I know that you must have left some details out of your account," Lightning stated as she opened her eyes. She looked up at Caius, setting a hand on the ground as she slowly sat herself up without having to be supported by Caius's knee and arm. "So tell me everything."

He studied her, deciding whether or not to give into her order. It wasn't a provoking order; she just wanted some information. Not that he could blame her. They had been preparing to face Etro for so long, yet their first encounter with her was a crash and burn. She had a right to know exactly what happened. "Like I said," he started lowly, leaning back and sitting down more comfortably with one knee up and an arm sitting on that knee, "I arrived in Etro's temple and found you lying on the ground. Etro was on her throne and she spoke to me."

"She didn't attack?" Lightning asked in surprise.

Caius shook his head. "No," he said, shifting his gaze to the ground. "She desired to speak with me instead. About multiple things. For one, she showed her face to me." He looked up at Lightning. "She was once a mortal, Lightning. Somebody that I knew."

"Who?"

"Averia."

Lightning's expression first showed shock, then utter confusion. "What?"

"She said that long ago, she lost a fight against the god Bhunivelze. She turned into a mortal—Averia. When Averia died and her spirit returned to Valhalla, Bhunivelze didn't recognize her. He thought she was against Etro, and in this world, she was because she didn't know she was Etro. She had lost her memory. So, she was genuinely upset with Etro for cursing Yeul until she returned to Valhalla and Bhunivelze offered her the old power she once possessed, believing that she would be a better Etro."

"But she was Etro all along."

"Yes," he said with a nod. "And she cursed Yeul and gave me her heart so that I would want to destroy everything. I was her puppet just as much as you were. She had no intention of allowing Yeul to live if I was defeated by Noel and Serah."

"…I'm sorry," Lightning said.

"Not feeling pity, are you?" he dared to ask, though a small smile tugged at his lips.

Lightning scoffed, though it was in good nature. "As if. It's more…sympathy."

"We have yet another thing in common," Caius stated bitterly.

"Yeah," she agreed with the same bitter smile. "Yet another reason for us to hunt down Etro and burn her temple to the ground."

"Works for me," he stated with a small smirk. But then in faded. "We need to rest and recover from this encounter first though. Really, get some rest."

Lightning avoided his eyes.

Now it was his turn to feel confused. "What?" Caius asked, voice soft in the nature that surrounded them. "Did something happen with Etro that I don't know about?"

"No," Lightning said quickly, meeting his eyes. "I went in, the throne was empty. I felt like my head was burning and then I just…passed out."

"Hm," he hummed. _Curious. _"Alright, if that's all," he said dismissively. He didn't bother saying what he already tried to enforce. She needed to rest, but she would only do it if she wanted to. Lightning was a stubborn, insubordinate person, but she had her reasons for being that way.

Caius rose to his feet to give Lightning some room, but she rose to her feet as well. She glanced at him, and her eyes were unreadable to him. Masked but somehow not. She only gazed at him for a split second before she walked to a nearby tree and sat herself back down again, leaning her back against it so that she could relax more comfortably. She shut her eyes as she folded her arms over her chest and lowered her head.

Yet she continued to sense Caius's gaze on her. "Could you…not stare?" Lightning requested, her voice a mumble.

Quickly he looked away. "My apologies." He kept his eyes on the moonlight that was reflected in the river instead of gazing at Lightning any longer. For a long time, he just gazed at that and listened to the soft sounds of the forest surrounding them. Eventually Lightning's soft, slow breathing accompanied the sounds of crickets chirping. Yet he still did not look, giving her the privacy that she requested.

After a long while of standing by the water, Caius sat himself down and lowered his head. It was time that he rested as well. Neither of them knew what the next day was going to hold.

***…*…*…*…*…***

**That's all for this week! Thanks to Riku91, Hana-chan98, The ShadowRaiders, Ballad Jr, Darkis0777, Hannah Abby, i, jchongmeeluk, MaroonAngel of Darkness, yunadance6, neon-neko-chan and Artemiangel for reviewing! Glad you all enjoyed the action of chapter 12; hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much! **

**i- if you wanna draw them back to back, go for it! I'd be interested in seeing any fanart my story inspires. xD**

**Hannah Abby- Nope, Corin is not the buy who gives Noel and Serah quests; he is a completely original character (even though I stole his name from a C.S. Lewis book :o).**

**That's it for today! Peanut out. **


	14. Chapter 14: Worry

Chapter Fourteen: Worry

"Caius. Wake up."

Caius grunted as he came to full awareness, hearing the stoic voice that spoke to him. Though he had fallen asleep sitting up, now he was on his back. He felt stiff from lying on the grass all night, and now the morning dew was covering him. What joy. He opened his eyes, seeing that Lightning was kneeling down next to him.

"What time is it?" he asked her, slowly beginning to sit up. The sun was in the air already and the air was warmer than it was when he passed out. Despite the obvious time that passed, he still felt really weary.

"I don't know. Maybe nine."

"You look as if you've been up for a while," Caius stated, looking at her eyes.

"Somebody had to get breakfast," Lightning said, jerking her head over to the side. Caius turned to look to his right, blinking in surprise. There was a fire going and she had already cooked some kind of meat. How could he have slept through all this? After yesterday, Caius expected Lightning to be weak. Yet she was the one who was awake, hunting, and cooking for the both of them. As if reading his mind, she answered his concerns. "You obviously needed the rest. Remember what you said before- creating the rifts takes a lot out of you."

"This is the exhaustion that you've been suffering with since the start of our journey?" he asked, surprised. How could she function so strongly when she felt this tired all the time? He knew that he would not allow this to hold him back either, but still, she hadn't shown any signs of being affected by creating the rifts except needing a little more sleep at nights. He got that extra sleep but was still tired.

"Yeah, well…" Lightning rose to her feet, running a hand over the back of her hair a bit awkwardly. "You learn to live with it."

"I'm sorry."

Lightning was as surprised as he was at the two words. "What?"

"I've been unfair. I pressed your buttons and forced you to do a lot, but all along, you were the one doing the real work."

She gave him a look. "And you've been fighting most of the battles," she stated realistically. "We've both been working hard."

Caius gazed at Lightning for a few moments, staying silent. That wasn't completely true; he could only think of one battle where he did the majority of the work, and that was when Lightning took an arrow to the stomach. The rest of the times that they fought, it was a joint effort. Yet how many portals had she created? At least five. Closer to ten, actually.

Yet she was not willing to let him continue the topic; she must have felt odd being praised by Caius. "Now, time to go eat," she said. "I know where we need to go today."

He rose to his feet as Lightning did the same, following her to the nearby fire and the roasted meat. "And where is that?" he inquired, sitting down with one knee up as he reached for some meat.

"We need to go back to Tebros Mountain, 580 AF. We defeated five dragons. We can't let the remaining charm or whatever they drop go to waste."

"But I doubt that we need to strengthen your sword now," Caius said in thought. "I believe that we've defeated all the dragons in history."

"Oh well, we can use the materials for something else, right?"

"Right," he agreed. He took a bite into the meat, thankful that Lightning hunted this morning and allowed him to sleep. Though he did not verbalize his gratitude, he tried to make it evident. Thankfulness wasn't something that he often experienced, but neither was worry. And he had been incredibly worried about Lightning yesterday. Running into Etros' throne room and finding her passed out on the ground was not pleasant. In fact, it was the opposite. _When did I actually…begin to care? _

He lifted his gaze as he ate, studying the girl who was staring at the fire in thought. She said that she had been awake for a while, yet she still looked very tired. And the way that she stared at the fire showed that mentally, she was a million miles away. Though he felt like a fool for wanting to ask if she was alright, he did it anyway. "Are you-?"

"Fine," she interrupted without looking away from the fire.

But the fact that she had the answer so ready showed that she wasn't alright. She didn't want to talk about it, though, so Caius wouldn't bring it up again. He cleared his throat. "I was going to ask…if you were going to eat the rest of your meat," he lied.

Though Lightning was no fool, she did fall for the lie. She tossed her remaining meat across the fire to Caius, and he caught it with ease before he forced himself to eat it. _Lightning isn't alright. But why should I care so much? As long as it doesn't affect her in battle…_Yet as he thought this, he felt his stomach drop. That was so insensitive. And false. He cared about her for more than her battle skills.

After a few more minutes of eating in silence, Lightning made the first move to put out the fire. Caius continued to sit, lost in conflicting thoughts of care and apathy. One side reigned over the other, though he wouldn't admit it.

"Are you making the rift or am I?" Lightning asked once her deed was done.

"I will," Caius answered quickly. He mentally swore at himself for jumping on the opportunity to do it so that Lightning wouldn't have to. _Stop this nonsense. You care for nobody._

"Alright." The young woman stepped back to give Caius some room to breathe. Trying to focus, he rose to his feet and looked away from Lightning.

_My greatest desire in Valhalla was to get Lightning to safety,_ he recalled. _But what is my greatest desire at this moment? _It wasn't to face Etro; he was scared of what would become of him and Lightning if they tried to face Etro again right now. He wished for strength, and that strength would be found in 580 AF near Tebros Mountain.

Once his mind was set on this one desire, the rift appeared to his left. He lifted his head and looked over at Lightning, who nodded once in approval before she started over. The two of them walked through together and floated in the Histora Crux, and both of them were so used to the sensation of floating by now that they weren't fazed by it. They didn't even bother speaking until Caius told Lightning that the rift was to their left. And she, already seeing it, floated over with him and they exited the Historia Crux.

When the exited, his eyes automatically wandered over the area. "Hmph," he hummed as a satisfied smirk appeared on his face. They appeared exactly where he wanted them to appear: right along the shores, near Tebros Mountain.

"Not bad for your first time," Lightning said nonchalantly.

"Not bad?" he retorted, still smirking at her. _You have got to be kidding. _She took them all over the place for a long time and she knew it.

Lightning, knowing what he meant, looked over at him. Her lips turned up ever so slightly in a smirk. "Yeah," she responded before starting to walk away. "Not bad."

Caius, however, remained where he was. "Are we splitting up to search?" He wasn't sure if that was such a great idea…

"It'll be quickest," she stated simply. "Besides, what else can Etro send at us at this point? We just defeated five dragons."

"Yes, but…"

"We'll be fine," Lightning reassured him, turning around to face him from her spot a few yards away. The look that she gave him, though not harsh, was enough to convey the point. Lightning _wanted _to be alone. For whatever reason, she needed some time to breathe.

Because of that, Caius dropped the argument. "Alright. You search the beach and the edge of the woods. I'll go deeper in."

"I think I saw one fragment drop right into an open meadow," she said. "So look carefully around that area."

"This is going to take a while, isn't it?"

"Not if we're lucky."

"And we never are," Caius filled in. He received another faint smirk from Lightning.

"Oh well," the young woman responded with a small smirk and a shrug. "We do what we need to do."

"Right," he agreed. "Shout if you need anything."

"You too."

Before Caius could allow himself to stare at Lightning again, he started into the woods to begin searching. It was going to take an eternity, but it was necessary. Depending on the fragments that were left behind, they could use them for some great purpose. He just did not know what that purpose would be; he only knew how to use the fragments to strengthen weapons. He supposed that their next quest could be to find some way to utilize the jewels since they seemed to have defeated the major threats to the timeline.

Time and humanity appeared to be safe. Now all that was left was finding a way to defeat Etro. Was it even possible? How did one go about killing a goddess? He knew that in the past, Lightning defeated Fal'Cie, but they were not as great as Etro. Etro was in a completely different class.

They would find a way though. They had to.

Caius found his way to the meadow that Lightning referenced earlier, and much to his surprise, he saw a fragment right away. No, he saw **five **fragments right away. All five of them were piled in the middle of the area, shining in the sunlight. Somebody had already gathered them.

But who would know to look out here? With great caution, Caius scoped the area around him as he approached the gems. Nobody was around as far as he could see. He picked one of them up and studied it. It was the real fragment.

"I decided to save you some trouble."

Caius looked over his shoulder and saw a man standing by one of the trees. He laughed bitterly. "Corin." Of course it was Corin. He was Etro's servant, here to kill him and Lightning. As if he would allow that to happen.

"Defeating the five dragons was very impressive," Corin stated nonchalantly. "You and Lightning are quite the team."

"Flattery does not come naturally from you Corin," Caius commented lowly. "What is it you want?"

"What I want is to see you dead," he said with a bitter laugh. "And what I want is to be the one who avenges my wife and Yeul."

"Then you'll need to go for the one killed both of them, and that is Etro."

"How **dare **you speak of the goddess like that?" Corin hissed. "Etro is a divine, benevolent goddess who always does what is best for the universe."

"Whatever suits her own desires best," he corrected with furrowed eyebrows.

"Her desires are to save the universe from people like you who are bent on destroying it."

Caius laughed. "You are truly fooled by Etro. Not that I can blame you truly; she is good at telling people lies to pull at their heartstrings. But know this Corin: Etro is the one trying to destroy everything, and this time, I am the one trying to save everything and everyone. Even you, my enemy."

"Hmph," Corin hummed with a dark smirk. "It seems like you've finally developed a heart, Caius Ballad. I'm certain that will change soon enough."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" he growled.

"Well for one thing, you're going to be dead soon. That heart won't do you much good then."

"You really think I'll die that easily?" Caius laughed again. Corin was seriously flattering himself. If he and Lightning managed to defeat five dragons, how did Corin believe that he stood a chance against even one of them?

"I do," Corin said, smirking slyly. "Especially without your teammate."

Caius's amused smirk disappeared at the mention of Lightning. "What?" he grunted.

"You're a fool, Caius Ballad. Standing here, chatting with me while the rest of my allies ambush the girl on the beach."

_He's lying! _Caius thought to himself, stunned into silence. But he was the only one lying. It all made sense. He wondered why Corin was babbling to him instead of trying to steal back the powerful fragments…This was a trap set to keep him here while Lightning met certain doom. And he fell for the trap so easily that it was pathetic.

Caius grunted, reaching down and grabbing the five fragments before he sprinted back the way that he came. Corin's laugher echoed in his ears. Lightning had to still be at the beach. That was where he told her to search. He had thought that it would be safer for her to search in a more open area; nobody could sneak up on her. But those precautions weren't going to do her any good when they were planning on ambushing her anyway. How could he have been such a fool! After all that happened, he should have never left her alone. He should have forced her to accept his company so that they could search together, whether she wanted to be alone or not.

The man broke through the edge of the woods, stumbling onto the sand and witnessing the beach before him. He wasn't prepared for what he saw.

Lightning, standing calmly in the sand with her sword out. On the ground surrounding her, five fallen men laid. Defeated.

"Etro must be pretty desperate to send weak men like these to attack us, huh Caius?" Lightning asked calmly, looking over at him. She wasn't even out of breath.

Caius grunted, smiling faintly out of both satisfaction and relief. "Desperate indeed," he agreed, starting towards us. "She's a fool for allowing her followers to use this strategy."

"What strategy, attacking when we're separated?"

He held up the fragments that he held in both hands. "And allowing Corin to gather all the fragments and putting them out of the open to keep me occupied." That part of the plan had worked, but he wasn't about to confess to Lightning how worried he had been over her. He was hardly admitting it to himself at this point.

Lightning scoffed. "Does she think we're that dependent on each other? That we're nothing on our own?"

"That seems to be the premise."

She nodded faintly. "I'd say that we should prove her wrong, but splitting up just to save our egos isn't a good idea."

"Right," he agreed.

Lightning looked past Caius then, seeing a figure standing at the edge of the woods. His expression was shocked, and furious. "Nice to see you again Corin," she greeted calmly. "Hope you don't mind that we turned your own trap against you."

The tribesman was silent, fuming too much to speak.

"Listen up," she continued. "We have nothing against you. You're a puppet of Etro just like we were. But stand in our way again and we won't hesitate to kill you."

"How kind of you," Corin said lowly, sarcastic.

"Yeah," Lightning said seriously. "It **is **kind. So take the kindness and get out of here before we change our minds. Etro will bring these men back to you if she cares."

As if on cue, a rift appeared next to Corin. Etro wanted her warrior elsewhere. The man, though he may have been on the wrong side, was still human and compassionate enough to glance at his men one more time before he disappeared. He trusted Etro that much? It was going to come back and bite him in the end.

"Come on, Caius," Lightning said after a moment of staring at the place Corin disappeared from.

"Where are we going?"

"Away from all these unconscious people."

Caius grunted and nodded, still holding the fragments in his hands as he started down the beach. Lightning followed, putting her sword away as they walked. There wasn't too much to say, really. They had been apart maybe twenty minutes. He hoped that was enough time for Lightning to be alone, because he wasn't going to leave her side again. Even if she was strong and capable of taking care of herself. Caius was used to being a protector, so leaving alone somebody he cared about didn't sit well with him. And neither did his heart. His emotions were so strong he didn't know what to do with them. His worry as well.

With his worry burdening him, he had to ask Lightning a question. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Lightning nodded. "Those idiots didn't know what hit them. Don't know how they got the idea I'd be some helpless little girl."

_Lightning sounds guarded. Tense. _Caius was confused at the bitterness in her tone, and though he probably should have dropped the topic, he didn't. "Maybe they heard about what happened in Valhalla."

"What happened in Valhalla doesn't reflect on my weakness or strength," Lightning scoffed. "Etro's in a completely different playing field. Just because she knocked me out doesn't mean that some random person can walk up and kill me."

"Lightning, I know," Caius said as he stopped walking. After walking a few steps ahead of him, Lightning turned around to see his arched brow. Not only was she extremely defensive about this, but she was also speaking as if she were angry at Caius. And for once, he hadn't done anything wrong.

Realizing this, she glanced down at the ground. "Sorry," she muttered.

"It's fine," he replied. "But the more you act so unusual, the more I sense you're hiding something."

"I'm not."

"Do you take me for a fool?"

"Nope. Do you take me for somebody who lies just for the fun of it?"

"No…"

"Then take me for my word and drop it," Lightning said.

Caius studied Lightning. She was wearing a mask. Others would have been fooled by it, but he wasn't. She was keeping a secret from him, whether she admitted it or not. And she wouldn't, so continuing this conversation was pointless. "Fine," he said simply. "Let's study these fragments."

Lightning nodded, still guarded as she looked down at the five fragments Caius held in his hands. "Are you sure these are the real deal, and that Corin didn't just pile up a bunch of fakes to get your attention?"

"I'm sure," he reassured her. "The aura radiating from them cannot be impersonated. These are definitely the remains of the dragons."

"Okay, well, good," Lightning said with a nod. "Any ideas on what we can do with them?"

"At the moment, none." Originally, he and Lightning had planned to use a few fragments to strengthen her weapon so that she could fight the dragons. But they just defeated the last dragons that harassed Gran Pulse and Bhunivelze, so there was no need for that. A weapon, no matter how strong it was, probably couldn't defeat Etro. They'd waste the materials if they used them on Lightning's gunblade now. "I assumed that our next adventure would be to research uses for the fragments."

"Alright. Let's get going."

"Right now?"

"No, in two weeks," Lightning said sarcastically. "Yes now. Unless you have something else to do in this time period that I don't know about."

"No," he said as he shook his head. "Let's go. Where am I making a rift to?"

"Maybe Academia sometime. That's the most advanced city in the future, so they should have the most information on any topic."

"That works." Caius handed the fragments to Lightning before he walked a few steps away, trusting that she would put them in her pouch with the other fragments to keep them safe. He had to focus; they wanted to go to Academia. Or did they? Did they really want to research the dragon fragments right now? Honestly, he was starting to doubt that Lightning was in the right place mentally to continue full speed ahead with this journey.

He sighed, shaking his head faintly. _I don't know what's best. I want to go wherever is best, as long as that place isn't near Etro. _

A rift appeared before him and Lightning. Without looking at each other, both of them walked through to their next destination.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Hours and hours later, Caius was positive that Lightning would never allow him to create another rift. He couldn't bring them to Academia no matter how hard he tried. First they wound up in the Vile Peaks, then the Palumpolum, and then Nautilus. Lightning kept urging him to try and get them to Academia, and he didn't bother to argue with her. If he did, she would suspect that his motives were not what they should have been.

Resigned, Caius had a change of heart. All that he wanted was a place to rest for the night. That was when he was finally able to create a portal to the Bresha Woods again. He somehow convinced Lightning that they needed to rest for the night, and she agreed.

"I'll take the first watch," Lightning said as Caius sat down against a tree. "Rest up. Tomorrow we're going to Academia."

"Right," he agreed lowly, nodding. Lightning would create the rift and she would lead them there. He was certain of that. Unless…

It clicked. The reason that Lightning allowed Caius to create the rifts was the same reason that he allowed her to create them on the first half of their journey. Lightning had another desire that was going to block her from creating a rift. Or that desire would lead them somewhere and she would have to admit that something wasn't right.

He shut his eyes before he could stare at her longer. Sooner or later, she would have to open up about what was wrong. It was going to hinder their journey, and he knew that was the last thing that she wanted. Within a few minutes, exhaustion took over for Caius. He breathed evenly and slept.

Hours later, he awoke on his own terms. Lightning hadn't woken him up so that he could watch for a while and she could sleep. Opening his eyes and looking closer to the river, he could see why.

Lightning was laying on her side, facing away from him. Asleep. Despite himself, he smiled faintly. "You couldn't hide your exhaustion forever, I suppose," he said quietly, rising to his feet. He grunted at his stiffness, walking closer to the river. He knew it was impossible to tell the time by the moon, but he felt like gazing up at the sky anyway. Then he would fall asleep again and trust that nothing would come hunt them. This area was proving to be a safe haven.

Caius stood next to Lightning, glancing down at her briefly before looking upward. But then he did a double take. He grunted, eyebrows furrowing as he studied her. "Lightning?"

Her expression was twisted in pain, just as it was when he brought her here after their encounter with Etro.

That settled it. Something was seriously wrong. Caius made his goal at that moment that they **would** go to Academia tomorrow, but it wouldn't just to research uses of dragon fragments. He would research and discover what was wrong with Lightning.

If he didn't, his heart could burst with worry.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Welp, that's the end of that chapter! Hope you all enjoyed; I'm sure you did. (: Just a general thanks to all of you—your reviews are always so encouraging! I can't believe I have such a supportive fanbase. So thanks for being awesome!**

**I'm purposely choosing to ignore some questions to not spoil the story, so don't be offended if I didn't answer yours. Your answers will be coming in the story eventually. :3 **

**Ballad JR: "I like the fact that you didn't over do it like other fanfictions…where they just make Lightning look like a damsel in distress :)". I'm glad I did a good job with that! I wanted to show that Lightning IS human and can be vulnerable, and just how dangerous Etro is to be able to take her down so easily. The goddess really is in another level entirely, but Lightning and Caius obviously aren't going to let that stop them. (:**

**Riku91- I believe I explained why Etro appointed Lightning as her knight in past chapters, but I can't remember the answer for the life of me! If I remember or ever go back and reread that stuff, I'll let you know. xD**

**That's it for today, so until next time!**

**Peanut**


	15. Chapter 15: Cursed

Chapter Fifteen: Cursed

Three days. That was how long Caius and Lightning spent in Academia 600 AF. The city was empty at that time for some reason, perhaps because of obsolete technology. He and Lightning weren't there to study history books, so they didn't. History was safe for the time being. Now as long as they defeated Etro, history would be saved permanently. Valhalla's shadow continued to linger in all the times that they visited, reminding them of what would happen if they failed.

Finding a use for the dragon fragments was their main objective. Or so Lightning thought. While she always had her nose buried in a book about that, Caius secretly researched myths and legends surrounding Etro. The one time she caught him doing this, he said he was looking for her weakness. That was perhaps a part of his studying, but his main objective was different.

Something was seriously wrong with Lightning. Every time she was asleep, she was in great pain. It wasn't because of a physical wound though, because Lightning was as agile and flexible as ever. No wound hindered her physical movements. So he had no clue what could have been the cause of her pain. He hated to see it though.

Yes, he hated to see Lightning in pain. He had to admit that much to himself. The constant worrying over her and the breaking of his heart assured him that he had indeed developed feelings for the person who was once his greatest enemy. It had been so subtle from the very beginning. First he respected her skill in battle, then he came to respect her as a person. She was very intelligent, emotionally and physically strong, but also genuine and determined and…beautiful. She truly was.

Caius glanced up from the book that he was gazing at blankly, seeing the young woman sitting across the table from him. Her nose was in a book, but not in the same sense that his was. Lightning's face was literally _in _the book as she leaned forward in her seat and slept. She had been cutting back on sleep lately, though she tried to hide that from Caius. Passing out now was only proof of how little sleep she was getting.

Knowing he had some privacy for the time being, Caius continued reading his book on Etro. At least this one actually mentioned the Eyes of Etro; this was definitely the most factual book that he had come across since they began this desperate search for information. He continued to read the book, taking in the information that it provided. And then there was another topic brought up. One that made his stomach drop.

He looked up at Lightning again. _It fits. Perfectly. _His hands curled into fists, his eyebrows furrowing as he stared at the sleeping girl. Tomorrow she would pay for keeping such a secret from him.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Lightning awoke the next morning as groggy and drained as she had the past few days. _Another night. It's not going to end…_ She picked up her head, glancing across from her automatically since that was where Caius had been when she fell asleep last night. Now he was gone. And she was thankful; she needed a few minutes of privacy.

She lifted a hand to her head, practically able to feel it pulsing beneath her hand. Her headache was still there, and so was the fogginess. And so was the sorrow. Sleeping was Hell now. It had been ever since she encountered Etro. But she assumed that as soon as they defeated Etro, then this torture would stop. That was why she was so focused on searching for a way to defeat her using the dragon fragments. Yet her research was turning up nothing. Neither was Caius's.

_I need to walk, _Lightning thought to herself. She slowly rose to her feet, hearing only the creaking of her chair. Wherever Caius was, he wasn't close enough to see that she was awake. He probably went to go get another book to study. Fine with her; she wasn't as attached to him as he was to her. If he thought she didn't notice him hovering over her, then he was a fool. She could see worry in his eyes, but she ignored it. She had her own problems to worry about.

"Lightning."

She blinked, turning her head to see Caius approaching her without a book in his hands. She lowered her hand from her head wordlessly, startled to see him approaching her with anger in his expression. Something was wrong. She backed up a few steps as he approached her until her back was against a wall. That was when Caius stepped right in front of her, placing his hands on the walls on either side of her to keep her boxed in.

"Are you _insane_?" Caius Ballad hissed at her.

"What?" she asked dumbly, not completely playing dumb. What did she do?

"You've been suffering with **that** and you haven't told me?"

He knew? How was that possible? That was just it. It _wasn't_. "Suffering with what?" Lightning asked deceitfully. She knew what she was suffering with, but he couldn't have.

"Every night when you sleep, you cringe with pain and suffering, but it's not because of a physical wound."

"Can't a person have a nightmare here and there?" she protested weakly. Though it was more than a nightmare. Much more.

"You're not just suffering from nightmares. You've been cursed with Etro's Ears. You hear the voices of those who passed."

Lightning had no retort. Caius knew the truth now, somehow. At least a part of it. "How did you know?" she asked quietly, shifting her gaze to his chest. What gave her away?

"I've been researching it ever since we came to Academia. I knew you wouldn't tell me yourself."

She nodded faintly without looking up. So that was it then. Caius knew her little secret. Not that there was anything little about it. The very first time Etro knocked her unconscious, it happened. Screams filled her head. Screams of Serah, her parents, and every other person that she met in her life who died. The screams of the dead were only silenced in the waking hours of the day. It absolutely broke her heart to hear her sister and parents suffering every single night. Screaming, for hours on end. Reminding Lightning that she couldn't protect any of them. Her presence only encouraged destruction.

Quite close to her breaking point, she shut her eyes so that Caius wouldn't see the moisture welling up. "They scream," she said in a near whisper. "Nonstop, every single moment I sleep. All of them are suffering…"

Caius whispered her name. "Lightning…"

The way that he said her name…It made her feel unnerved. It was as if he was experiencing the heartbreak along with her. Never in her life had she heard somebody say her name like that. To cover that surprising emotion, she went on the defensive. "Don't pity me," she said lowly.

Out of the top of her eye, she witnessed Caius blink in surprise. "Pity you?" he repeated.

"Yeah," she said with a small nod. She still refused to meet his eyes. "Don't pity me. I'm not some weak victim here."

"I would never use the word weak to describe you," Caius said. "But victim, yes."

Lightning lifted her head, a faint glare surfacing. But Caius continued speaking to her. "You were manipulated your whole life, and now you're cursed by an evil goddess. You are victim to her cruelty."

"I brought it upon myself."

"How?" he challenged.

She didn't answer.

After a moment, Caius experienced some clarity. "That's the conclusion you've reached from hearing their screams of agony each night, isn't it?" he realized aloud. "They're fooling you into thinking that you're guilty."

"Shut up Caius."

"Don't you realize this is what Etro _wants_?" Caius hissed again. "You're playing right into her hand, losing hope because of these voices!"

"I said **shut up**!" Lightning cried, lifting her hands to Caius's chest. She shoved him back a few steps, glaring at him furiously. "Who the Hell do you think you are, playing psychologist with me? You don't know a damn thing."

"Then enlighten me."

"No," she snapped, stepping past him. "I don't feel like it."

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you."

Lightning left the library, leaving Caius alone in the middle of the room. She was so hot headed that she didn't even know where she was going. She just knew that at that moment, her greatest desire was to get far away from Caius. The fury may have even been enough for her to create a rift, if her other emotions didn't get in the way.

She walked through the empty city streets, both fuming and breaking down. The reason that she wanted to leave Caius was simple: he was right. Hearing the screams of everyone, especially Serah, reminded Lightning of how terribly she failed all of them. It reminded her that she took on this name for a reason. _Lightning. It flashes bright, then fades away. It can't protect. It only destroys. _

_It only destroys._

That was all she felt that she could do. Whoever got close to her suffered. Serah. Hope. Snow. Sazh, Fang, and Vanille. All of them suffered because they came in contact with her. She didn't think it would ever be possible to forgive herself for what she had caused. She was trying so hard to atone for it all. To free Fang and Vanille from their crystals, to save the future so that Hope, Snow, and Sazh could all live together in a place that actually had potential. As for herself, well, it didn't matter. She didn't care as long as those people got a happy ending. They deserved one, and she didn't.

What happened to the times that she had hope? That she believed that she could live in a place and be happy? That was just it. She stopped believing that a long, long time ago. A lifetime ago. There was no way for her to gain what she had lost. It was hopeless to even try. She fought for so long. Now all she wanted to do was stop. Let others fight.

Caius was willing to fight. And it wasn't just to get revenge for Yeul anymore. He found something to drive him along the line. Now Lightning lost what was driving her.

She sank down to her knees in the outskirts of the city, feeling the wind blow her pink hair to the side. _Time to give up this fight. I'm done._

"_That's it then? You've given up?"_

Lightning heard the voice, one that she knew was only in her head. It was a voice of a being that she used to trust with her life, in battle and off. "Why are you here now, Odin?" Lightning spoke aloud without moving, eyes shut. Was he here to finish her off in her misery?

"_I will always feel a tugging at my heart whenever you are in pain."_

"Ha," she laughed. "Yeah, that's your cue to come finish me off, isn't it?"

"_Yes," _Odin answered honestly. A few feet in front of Lightning, the air became distorted. The darkness started to gather along with a faint wind, and out of that darkness, the knight called Odin emerged with sword in hand. "_It is." _

Lightning opened her eyes, seeing Odin standing in front of her. To think that she had summoned him and called for his aid so many times, and now he was here to kill her. "Etro has a really sick sense of humor, you know," she said to the eidolon. Turning Odin against her was just plain cruel. "Were you ever really on my side?"

"_You won me over with your strength and determination, both of which you now lack."_

"Yeah, well, funny things happen when your whole world is ripped away from you."

"_That didn't stop you before."_

Lightning glanced down at her knees, feeling some grass tickle her legs. Odin was right. When she met him for the first time, it had been soon after Serah turned to crystal. She lost her sister, her job, and her future. The only reason that she fought back was to protect Hope, however annoying he had been at the time. "I wasn't even fighting for me," she said quietly to Odin. "I fought for Hope. You went after him."

"_Because I knew I had to provoke you to fight me somehow. Otherwise, you may have welcomed death's release. I cannot deny that this is what Etro had planned for most l'cie summoning their Eidolons. If they were not going to be of use to her, then they were better off dead." _

"But what about you?" Lightning said as she glanced up at him. "What did you want out of all that? And what do you want now?"

"_I am a servant of Etro," _he said. _"My purpose is to do her will."_

"That doesn't answer the question." And she felt like he avoided the question on purpose. "You don't want to kill me, do you?"

Much to her relief, Odin shook his head. He didn't want to kill her. He still held some allegiance to her. _"Do you know what Eidolons are, Lightning?" _he asked randomly.

Did she? All that she knew were that Eidolons were the servants of Etro. They did her bidding no matter what the cost, and were extremely hard to actually kill. They had a limited amount of time in this realm since their home realm was Valhalla, but other than that… "No," she confessed as she shook her head. "What are you?"

"_Once, we were all humans. Weak, pitiful humans, who tried to stand up to the goddess Etro. We all saw her for the evil ruler that she was and attempted to overthrow her. None succeeded. As our punishment, we became what we are, and now we are forced to do the goddess's will."_

"Wow," Lightning said, shaking her head. Etro just kept getting crueler and crueler. That was so sadistic. She wondered, would that happen to her if she failed to defeat Etro? Would she be cursed to serve her forever like the Eidolons?

"_Etro is a force to be reckoned with,_" Odin said strictly. _"If you face her, you must be strong."_

"Do you think that I can?"

"_No." _

Lightning grunted, surprised at that one worded answer.

"_You are not the soldier I once knew. You are now weak without a meaning to fight. So…I have come to kill you, not because I want to. Because if I don't, Etro will turn you into her slave like me."_

"You can't be serious," Lightning said lowly, rising to her feet with caution. "You're going to kill me to save me from Etro?"

"_Yes," _Odin said, nodding. "_It is the last service I can provide to you."_

Suddenly, Odin swung his sword at her with the grace and speed that she was used to seeing fight on her behalf. She pulled out her sword and blocked it, grunting at the force that Odin put against her blade. He was serious. Deathly serious.

"Don't make me fight you again!" she cried, pushing off his large blade and jumping backwards. "I don't want to do that!"

"_Why? Because you believe you can hurt me? You cannot, Lightning. Not anymore." _

Lightning gritted her teeth, jumping backwards to avoid Odin's swinging weapon. He really thought that little of her? She must have really slipped then, if he thought that she was some weak, helpless little girl. She wasn't. She defeated Fal'Cie before. She fought off **armies **of soldiers and didn't take a single blow. She rose to the ranks in the Guardian Corps before she was eighteen years old. She was anything but weak and helpless.

_Time to prove myself. _Lightning's lips curled into a sneer. _You want a fight, I'll give you a fight. I'll prove myself to you again right now._

She went on the offensive, knowing what types of attacks Odin was used to giving. Knowing what set him off. Magic was her ally. Strength, grace, and confidence. But most importantly, Odin needed to see one thing: Her will to live.

They danced. Odin was light on his feet and swung in variations of spinning moves, and Lightning spun right back at him and met him blade to blade. He jumped in the air and she met him there. He sent thunder at her and she threw it right back at him. He backed off and she moved forward. The perfect dance partners, once paired together as allies were now fighting as friendamies. He was looking out for her best interest, and so was she. What she needed, more than anything, was to fight.

And she decided that was what she would do. A life of constant fighting wasn't an easy one. There was so much hurting and so much pain, and only half of it was physical. But she was strong enough to handle it. Mentally and physically.

With a battle cry, Lightning stepped right past Odin's swinging blade. She stood right in front of him and thrust her blade at him, stopping it only inches short of his chest. He was shocked. She was satisfied. Lightning panted a breath, smirking faintly in satisfaction and victory. "Still think I'm incapable?" she breathed lowly.

If Odin could smile, Lightning swore that he was doing at that moment. "_Well done, Lightning," _he said in satisfaction. _"You've earned my respect once more. I had my doubts, but I see your resolve and will to live is stronger than your despair. And knowing the depths of your despair, it is incredible that a force could be stronger than that."_

She nodded faintly, stepping away a few steps. Her blade returned to its case as Lightning looked up at the eidolon. She understood. His purpose may have been to bring death to those that despair, but he had brought her back from her despair twice now. He showed her the path again. For that reason, Lightning dipped her head faintly. "Thank you," she said, knowing that he would understand what she was saying.

Odin, also, showed Lightning a sign of respect. "_I am your servant once more, Lightning. You have won this battle. The war can still be lost, but know this: if it is lost, I will still stand by your side."_

"I understand," Lightning said with a small nod. She stood upright, looking at Odin. She had another ally, and this time, he was going to stay.

Odin walked towards Lightning, walking into her without stopping. He grew transparent a step before colliding with her, and when his spirit combined with her body, he vanished to stay in her heart. If she needed him, all she had to do was ask. He was hers to utilize. _I'll be good to you, _she thought. _I promise._

Lightning stood where she was, feeling the warm air enter her lungs and sooth her. She had been so bottled up lately. Trusting only with the physical battles and not the battles of the heart. She just gained an ally in battle, but she knew that there was another who would help her with the battles against grief and hopelessness.

Caius. He started as her enemy. Somewhere along the line, they began to tolerate each other. Then trust each other. Relate. They were truly friends. Maybe even something more.

"You're standing here with me, aren't you?" Lightning asked aloud without turning around.

"Yes," Caius's response came. "I am."

_Of course you are. _The young woman turned around, seeing Caius standing a few yards away with his arms folded over his chest. His feet were firmly planted on the ground, and it looked as if he had been standing there for quite some time. That meant that he witnessed her battle against Odin. Did they even need to talk about that? She knew that other matters were more important than that. She had stormed out on him after all.

Swallowing her pride, she brought up that hard topic. "I'm sorry," she said as she faintly shook her head. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"It's fine."

"No," Lightning disagreed. "It isn't. You've shown me respect and trusted me. I should have done the same with you."

"Perhaps," he said agreeably. "However, I may have pushed you too far."

"I was already at my breaking point. It was just…too much to handle." She shook her head, looking away from Caius as her eyebrows furrowed deeply. Serah screaming in agony, sorrow and pain for hours on end…It was absolute torture. And she knew that she would face that once again tonight. There was no escaping this until Etro was defeated.

"It still **is **too much to handle, isn't it?" Caius asked gently.

Instead of being guarded, Lightning was completely honest. "Yeah," she said quietly. "It is. I can't…handle it. That's why I've been awake almost all the time."

"I understand. Let us return to the library. The sooner we find a way to destroy Etro, the sooner you'll be free of this curse."

"Right," she agreed. That was all the motivation that she needed to return to the library. Hopefully she could stay awake a few hours before she needed to crash and sleep. A few hours of sanity before the torture began…

As they walked back into the city, Lightning mostly looked down at the ground. The air between her and Caius was different. Before they had both been obsessed with killing Etro as soon as possible, but now Caius seemed more concerning about Lightning's state than anything else. Wasn't he still on fire for avenging Yeul? Why was that on the backburner now, and why was his focus on Lightning? What did she do to merit that attention? _You're a confusing guy, Caius Ballad. _He was a mystery to her, but there were certain words she couldn't pair with him anymore. "Evil" was one of them. He wasn't evil. He was…good. He was more than an ally now. He was a friend.

The two of them arrived back at the library and continued their studying for hours on end. Still nothing.

After a while of silence, Caius looked up from his book to Lightning. "I think we should return to Bresha for the night."

Bresha? "Why?" Lightning asked in confusion. Why couldn't they sleep here again?

"We haven't eaten meat in a few days, and we know the water there is clean," Caius responded logically. "Besides, it's also a safe area."

"Okay," she agreed. "Let's get going. We can plan our next move tomorrow morning."

"You don't wish to return here?"

"It doesn't seem like we're going to find anything," she said with a shrug. "Maybe some other place has the answers that we need."

"Alright." Caius, without even asking, assumed that he was going to be the one to create the rift. Even Lightning understood that, since he walked a few steps away to give himself room to breathe.

It only took a few seconds for the air to change, and for the orange and black rift to make itself present. "Hmph," she hummed, shaking her head faintly.

"What?"

"You've actually gotten pretty good at that, that's all." It took her much longer to get a grip on creating rifts, or so she believed. She just hoped that it would actually lead them to their destination. She hadn't forgotten how Caius's rifts kept leading her to places on Cocoon, places that she really didn't want to revisit. Fortunately-or maybe not so fortunately—Caius didn't realize that. Did she need to tell him now that they were being more honest and open with each other?

_No, _she thought as she followed Caius through the rift and into the Historia Crux. _He doesn't need to know. It's not _that _important… _It was a lie, but it was easier to lie to herself than to Caius these days. He was far too observative. Far too caring.

They only floating along the currents of time for a minute or two before they exited, and much to her relief, it was their usual spot by the Bresha Woods. Something about this place was just soothing, to both of them. Crickets chirping at night, the soft river flowing…Those dull noises helped drown out her thoughts. Maybe it did the same for Caius. That could have been another reason that he insisted that they return to this location instead of going someplace where there were hotels and real beds. Then again, she was hesitant to go anywhere that people were. It was less obvious who could be an assassin and who could be just a normal person living out their life.

"Are you going to try to force yourself to stay awake?" Caius asked Lightning, glancing over at her where she stood.

She hardly needed to consider her answer; her body wouldn't allow her to stay awake any longer. "I need to crash," she said quietly. "Whether I want to or not."

Caius nodded faintly, gazing at her with soft eyes. Eyes softer than Lightning saw even when Caius was thinking of Yeul. The fact that his tenderness was directed at her…Well, it was something strange. Strange, but soothing. She wasn't alone.

Lightning moved back to her normal resting place by the tree, and Caius knew that was his cue to stop staring at her. Though he wouldn't leave her alone, he would give her at least a little privacy. She laid down on her side, facing away from Caius and the river. It wasn't anything against him; she just didn't want him seeing her expression once she was asleep. She knew it wouldn't be pleasant.

With not-so pleasant thoughts in mind, Lightning's exhaustion took the reins. She lost consciousness, listening to the sounds of the river and the crickets. And then the screams of her lost loved ones.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Caius stayed awake for a long while, tired but not nearly as tired as Lightning. When he was certain that she was asleep, he dared to gaze at her for a little while. She had a high tolerance for pain, but this was challenging for her. He knew that if he were in the same situation, he would nearly be driven mad. He could just imagine it, listening to Yeul screaming every single night…The mere **thought **was heart wrenching.

That was why he sought to provide some kind of comfort. He sat down by Lightning and listened to her breathing, which was a little more ragged than usual because of what she was experiencing. Hesitantly, he lifted a hand to her arm. The skin was soft, warm. As was her heart. "Lightning," he whispered, gazing down at her. She came off so cold, but she was a loving person. She cared for those around her. He was the same. He just never pictured he would actually care about _her…_

But he did. And that was all that mattered. Certain that she was asleep, Caius laid himself down on the grass behind her. What he did next, he did with caution. He laid on his side and lifted his arm, carefully wrapping it over Lightning's stomach. She was too deep in sleep to realize his close presence.

He sighed in relief, relaxing as he shut his eyes. He willed himself to sleep as he felt like a guardian once more.

Hours later, he awoke in an unexpected way. Instead of being the one to wake up first, Caius heard Lightning beckoning to him. "Caius," her voice said quietly, frail.

He grunted, sensing that she was still right in front of him. Under his arm. He opened his eyes and blinked several times. It was still nighttime. She should have still been sleeping…But maybe the cries were too much for her. She wouldn't even look at him as she faced away from him. "Yes?" he said quietly, showing that he was awake.

"Before, you sent Serah and Noel to a world of sleep," Lightning said in a hoarse voice. "A world where they could dream of whatever they wanted most. Tell me…Can you send me to that type of world?"

Caius nodded faintly. He could. He could try and make her dream of sweet things instead of hearing the cries of her loved ones all night. "Close your eyes," he whispered in her ear. He propped himself up a bit, leaning on one elbow as he gazed down at Lightning. Even in the pale moonlight, he could see that she wasn't so bright herself. Pale from horror.

As Lightning obeyed his gentle order, Caius moved his hand off the ground and set it on top of Lightning's pink hair. The other remained draped over her stomach. He fingered her hair gently, shutting his eyes as he focused on the sleeping charm that he knew. Not all methods of making a person dream sweetly were violent, like what he did with Noel and Yeul. Lightning would drift to sleep soon without pain, and hopefully her dreaming would cover the screams.

"Rest," he murmured, continuing to finger her soft hair with his thumb. In his hold, Lightning did not protest. Her breathing became softer, her form beginning to relax once more. Within a few minutes, she was coaxed into slumber yet again. And Caius, he was left to watch her expression for a long time. At least half an hour was how long he sat and watched to make sure that he had helped somewhat. Her expression was still pained, but not to the same degree as before.

Feeling faint satisfaction at that, Caius laid himself back down on the ground behind Lightning. In the moments before he lost consciousness again, he realized that Lightning had taken the time to lay her arm over his.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I just wanna say one thing quick before I go onto the personal stuff, even though this is a personal matter too. Thanks to everyone who reviewed when I posted the last chapter on Sunday. I was having an absolutely terrible night and your kind words helped make it a little better. (: You guys seriously are the best fans I've ever had, by far. **

**Hannah Abby- Yes, I'm remembering to eat, sleep, breathe, and work a full time job! xD I've written chapters ahead of time so that I could guarantee you guys regular updates. But now I'm SO far ahead I can manage to post them a little more quickly. Believe it or not, the story is actually all written up now except for one little epilogue to the epilogue that I might work on. ;3**

**Yukari123- yay, a new fan! I'm so glad it was good enough for you to read in one sitting; that's really encouraging that my writing style can be taken in large doses (: Welcome to the story!**

**Neon-neko-chan- I remember as soon as I saw your review, I started laughing. Thanks for the enthusiasm! **

**Ballad Jr- Wow, I think that you're the second person who had a family member alert them about the story! Awesome that I can bring families together like that :D I feel special. **

**Darkis0777- So…What was your theory about what was wrong with Lightning? Were you right? **

**I believe that's it for today's update! I'll see you guys again soon. :D **

**On a random note, anybody here a Legend of Korra fan? That show gives me way too many feels. xD**

**(Okay, seriously, I'm going now)**

**Peanut**


	16. Chapter 16: Phantom Threat

Chapter Sixteen: Phantom Threat

Lightning was never one to get extremely groggy after sleeping. She was a soldier; she always slept lightly so that she could jump up and fight if she had to. That was a lifestyle that she never really abandoned, since her life hadn't been peaceful for years now.

Yet the morning after Caius put her to sleep, she woke up in a complete daze. She fought the urge to groan, unbelievably foggy mentally. What even happened? When she went to sleep the first time, she awoke because she couldn't stand hearing the screaming any longer. And when she noticed Caius's arm over her stomach…Well, it was a chain reaction. She came up with the idea that he send her to a dream world.

And he did. She had a nightmare instead of a sweet dream though. _It's alright, _she thought with furrowed eyebrows. _Nightmares I can handle. Better than just hearing screaming for hours on end._ But unfortunately, the nightmare didn't even block the curse. In the background, she heard the cries of all the people who died. Serah especially.

Lightning finally opened her eyes, seeing the tree in front of her as she continued to lay on her side. She glanced down at her stomach and saw that Caius's arm was still draped over it. And hers over his. Honestly, she was surprised with herself. She wasn't intimate with people. She didn't even know how she felt towards Caius, or so she told herself. She couldn't put the emotion into words so she tried to just go with her gut feelings.

"Lightning?"

She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Caius looking down at her. Had he laid there with her, waiting for her to awaken? She nodded faintly to him to show that she heard him, and that she was awake. That was obviously the reason that he spoke her name. And he wanted to know if she was alright. Was she? She didn't even know anymore. It was too much to decipher.

Instead of giving a verbal response to Caius's unanswered question, she gave him the privilege of being able to study her and reach his own conclusion. Lightning carefully rolled onto her back, and Caius propped himself up with one arm while the other remained over her. _Go ahead and see for yourself, _she told him through her eyes. _You've earned that much of my trust. _Surely Caius knew not to take that for granted. She was sharing herself with him, as he shared his heart with her a while ago. It was scary to let him in, but at the same time, she trusted him. She really did.

Caius, being the smart that he was, silently accepted Lightning's offer. His eyes danced over her face, studying her unguarded expression. What showed was probably tiredness and sadness, but Lightning hoped that her eyes showed that she wasn't broken. She could survive this. She had to.

Caius opened his mouth to say something after a few moments, but the words never left. A loud cracking noise came from the forest.

Eyes wide, Lightning bolted upright and Caius bolted to his feet. She quickly followed suit and pulled out her sword, eyes narrowed as she looked into the trees. It may have been daytime now, but the woods were still shaded pretty well. There was no doubt in her or Caius's minds though. Something was in there. The question was, was it a friend or a foe?

Lightning saw him first. A man, stumbling towards them. Wounded. But this wasn't just any man. "Corin," she grunted, rushing into the woods to meet him before Caius could stop her. She stopped by the man, eyes dropping to the obvious wound. Somebody struck him with an arrow? "What happened?" she asked with furrowed eyebrows, looking up at his green eyes.

"I **was **hunting you two, but then me and my men were ambushed. I only took an arrow to the knee."

"Who shot at you?" Caius asked, suddenly appearing right next to Lightning.

"I don't know," Corin panted. "I couldn't see anyone. We were sniped off. I'm the only one to have survived."

"We need to move," Lightning said. "We're sitting ducks in the forest. Caius, take Corin away from here. Go to the ruins or something."

"And what do you plan on doing?"

Lightning pulled out her gunblade, swiftly holding it with both hands as her left hand caressed the gun. "I'll cover you. And try and figure out who this sniper is." Upon feeling Caius's concerned look on her, she furrowed her eyebrows and looked over at him. "Don't even think that you could be the one to do this. You don't have a gun."

"But I could take yours."

"And leave me lugging your weapon and Corin," she finished with a jerk of her head. "Forget it. You know that this is the only plan that's going to work."

"This attacker just took out five men," Corin stated a bit angrily. "And you believe that you can handle him on your own?"

Lightning didn't even bother answering, furrowing her eyebrows. _What is it with these people underestimating me? _She'd show them.

Opportunity came in an arrow flying right at her head. With lightning fast reflexes, she lifted her gunblade and shot a bullet directly at the arrowhead. The bullet knocked down the arrow, also tearing it in two. With a satisfied hum, she shifted her gaze to Corin. "You seriously need to stop underestimating us," she said. "Who defeated five dragons in one day?"

With bitterness, Corin responded. "You did…"

"Mhm, that's what I thought. Have you saved the world yet Corin?"

"I was working on it…"

"And failing miserably," Caius interrupted. "This is a waste of time. Let me ask an important question: Why are we helping him, Lightning?"

"Because he's not a bad person," she said without looking over. "He's just on the wrong side.

"And how do we know that this isn't a trap?"

"He has an arrow lodged his knee," Lightning said as she jerked her head towards said arrow. "Nobody would be stupid enough to create a serious wound like that for the sake of trickery."

Caius grunted his response, not happy but unable (and unwilling) to argue with her. He knew that she was right, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

"Is that all you have to say?" she asked.

"I suppose so."

"Then go," Lightning said, eyes searching the forest. "Like I said, I'll cover."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Caius nod. With Corin's arm wrapped over his shoulder, Caius started to lead the man away from the dark forest. If they walked down the path of the river, they'd come to an opening. From there, they could enter the ruins. There were still places for the sniper to hide, but at least there, Lightning had a chance of shooting back without shooting blind.

No attacks came. Not at first. Lightning walked backwards, facing the forest while Caius and Corin made their way closer and closer to the ruins. She wondered if the person wasn't after her and Caius today. But why wouldn't they be? She had a theory about this, but not a good one. She'd have to talk it over with Caius and Corin before she came to any conclusions.

Then, when they were right between the forest and the ruins, an attack came. A volley of arrows, coming from one source and then spreading out in midflight before coming at her. Magic arrows, not arrows from multiple shooters. She grunted, quickly lifting her sword and shutting her eyes. _Shield! _A translucent shield appeared around her, Caius, and Corin, and not even the magic arrows could penetrate it. They all dropped to the ground.

_They came from right there, _Lightning thought with squinted eyes, staring at one spot in the forest. She started running in, hearing Caius cry in protest. "Lightning!"

"Get him to the ruins," she barked. "I know where the shooter is."

Just as quickly as the words left her lips, she disappeared from Caius's sight and entered the forest. The shooter had been in a tree, sitting on one of the lower branches. And whatever bow and arrow they were using…Lightning knew that it held magical properties. How else would the arrows have deceivingly changed to be more spread out before narrowing in on them again? That was physically impossible to do without magic.

She stood in the middle of the trees, glaring up at the tree that she hadn't taken her eyes off of. "Show yourself!" she cried, tightly gripping her gunblade. She gritted her teeth and shot a bullet into the place the person had been kneeling, but it only struck air. "Coward!"

The branches of a tree to her left ruffled. Lightning spun on her feet, pointing her gun at an empty area. She was meant to hear that. Whoever this person was, they were toying with her. "Sadistic, huh?" she muttered, though she made sure the villain could hear her. "Fine. But you're not in the mood to shoot me, are you? You want to finish off what you started earlier."

Silence was her response.

"The question is, how did you manage to kill the others off so easily but only shoot Corin's knee? Was it a warning shot? Or did you flat out miss your target?"

To answer her, an arrow came directly at her heart. Lightning's gunblade blocked it. "Your aim is right on," she said, understanding the message that was sent to her. "Okay, it was a warning shot. You wanted him to reach us so we'd know that you're a major threat. Now that we got the memo, you want to kill the messenger. But you're stuck here with me. So, what are you going to do about it?"

A barrage of arrows came at Lightning from her right. As if this attack would work on her. She rolled forward, allowing the arrows to pierce the ground behind her as she shot bullets towards the exact location that the arrows originated from.

This time, the shooter had no time to run to another tree. One of the bullets struck, and the person fell out of the tree. They weren't in the light, but Lightning could see the outline of the figure. Small, thin, and crouched down on the ground in a defensive position that Lightning herself had perfected. She would have thought it was a clone of herself. Except for the long ponytail on the side of the person's head.

She grunted, eyes widening. That figure was…

They disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Gone for good.

Lightning tried to recapture that second that she saw the figure in her mind. They were all black, just a shadow. She saw the girl's eyes, but they weren't the blue hue that Serah's were. But the figure's shape, their technique with the bow and arrow…All of it told her that it had been some kind of illusion of Serah.

But no, she refused to accept that. As she headed out of the forest towards the ruins, she started talking herself out of it all. The techniques were coincidence. The figure wasn't really Serah; Lightning just hallucinated and pictured her because Serah was on her mind all the time these days. Most importantly, the eyes weren't the same as Serah's. Even in the shadows of the forest, Lightning knew that was truth.

She entered the ruins, walking up the stairs until rubble blocked her path. Caius must have gotten Corin up further. How that was possible with his wound, she didn't know. Maybe Caius threw him over the debris as revenge for attacking them a while ago. Yeah, that was something that Caius would do… So she jumped over various piles of rubble to get deeper into the ruins, further away from the forest and the phantom enemy that they had faced. They would be safe for a little while. But the enemy would come back eventually to finish what they started with Corin. Their orders must have been to kill him before going for Lightning and Caius. There was only one person who would want **all **of them dead—

"Lightning," Caius said. Over to her right, Caius was on his feet and Corin was sitting down. "Is the foe gone?"

"Gone as in not here anymore," Lightning responded, her voice sounding off. "She got away."

"She?"

"_They_ got away," she corrected. "Whoever they were."

Though she tried to cover up her blunder, Caius was smart enough to pick up on her mistake. He didn't confront it directly though. Instead, he shifted his gaze to Corin. "Come look at this arrow in his knee," he said. "It's familiar."

_I already know that, _Lightning wanted to snap, though she locked her jaw and stared at the arrow. It looked just like Serah's. "Yeah, familiar," she said tightly, not encouraging the conversation.

"I only see one logical conclusion," Caius continued, looking at Lightning as he spoke.

_Say it, I dare you, _Lightning thought without looking at Caius. "And that would be?" she asked lowly.

"Etro is messing with our hearts."

"You mean **my **heart," she finally snapped.

But Caius only shook his head. "No, Lightning," he said. He gently reached for Lightning's hand, which was still tightly gripping the gunblade by her side. "**Ours**"

Lightning looked up at Caius, and upon seeing the look in his eyes, she had to force her own to soften. She understood what he was saying. He was saying that Lightning wasn't the only person suffering because somebody similar to Serah was attacking them. Lightning was the one most affected by it directly, but Caius was affected because he hated to see her in pain. Again, he was reminding her that somebody actually cared about her.

"Sorry," she muttered, glancing down at the ground. She really had to stop losing her temper with Caius. The last thing that she wanted was to chase him away.

"Apology accepted," he said easily. "Now, back to our situation. Etro must have resurrected some form of Serah to come and hunt us."

"How?"

"She's a goddess who deals with life and death. How hard could it be?"

"This wasn't Serah though," Lightning said as she faintly shook her head. "…She was all black like a shadow, except for her eyes. Those were a dull grey."

"So then, it's simply an illusion. It is only meant to play with our heartstrings. We won't allow that to stop us."

Lightning didn't respond right away. She knew Caius was right. She had to stop letting Etro get inside her head, because it was tearing her apart. The only reason it was her going through this and not Caius was because Etro had the nerve to try and recruit him before…What a foolish move on her part. She should have tried breaking his heart too if she was so wise. Caius's strength was going to be her downfall. He was the one keeping her going now after all.

"Lightning."

"You're right," she said, nodding faintly in hopes of convincing him. "It's not going to stop us."

"How sweet," came a sarcastic voice from the ground. Lightning shifted her gaze to Corin, eyebrows furrowing slightly as he continued. "But whether you plan on allowing this to stop you or not, you have a serious problem. Etro is ten times more powerful than you and you have no idea how to defeat her."

"Even the gods aren't invincible," Caius said lowly. "We'll discover a way."

"Not before she kills you off first through that phantom enemy."

"Why do I get the feeling you care?" Lightning asked with suspicion.

"I don't," Corin said, though he was not a very good liar. "I only wanted to make sure that you two understood your fate."

"And that fate would be?" she challenged.

He laughed. "Death, obviously. What other fate could the goddess have in store for you?"

Lightning didn't respond, though she did have an answer. Odin had told her that he had once stood against Etro as she was doing now. When he lost, he was forced into being her servant for all eternity. She assumed that would be the fate that she and Caius would face when they lost. "Here's a question for you, Corin," she said. "What fate does Etro have in store for you? You admit that warrior is from Etro, yet she attacked you, Etro's servant."

"The goddess has betrayed you," Caius added. "You couldn't complete your task, so she sent somebody that would. And somebody who would kill you in the process so you could never become strong enough to threaten her."

"I'm not convinced that's true," Corin said uneasily, shifting his gaze to the ground.

"What part aren't you convinced about? The warrior of Etro attacking you and trying to kill you? It is clear as a bright morning in New Paddra!"

"Perhaps the goddess has a bigger plan then I can see…"

"Yeah, a plan where she rules the universe all by herself and kills off anybody who could be a threat to her," Lightning said as she rolled her eyes. "That's the bigger plan."

"She wouldn't!" Corin cried.

"She already is," she responded lowly. "Believe it or don't. But if I were you, I'd find somewhere safe to hide. Somewhere safe. Otherwise, you're as good as dead."

"My duty is still to kill you," he said in confusion. "Why allow me to go recover? I could pose a serious threat to you."

"Like I told Caius earlier, you're not a bad person," Lightning said. She knelt down next to Corin as she finally put her weapon away, staring at the arrow in his knee. "Just confused and on the wrong side. Now hold still, we need to get the arrow out of your knee. Caius, keep a lookout."

"I do not believe compassion is wise here…"

"Oh well." Lightning set one hand on Corin's knee while the other hand wrapped around the purple arrow. She glanced up at his face briefly before she tightened her grasp on the arrow and yanked it out in one swift movement.

Corin's cry of pain split the air, and both Caius and Lightning grunted in alarm. Not at the pain; at the notion that somebody else would hear his cry and come running. Running into natives of each time period was not something that Lightning and Caius enjoyed doing. But quieting him in the few seconds that he screamed wasn't going to do any good.

Instead of scolding him once he was quiet, Lightning focused on her magic. She shut her eyes and cast Cure on his knee in hopes of healing him quickly. "It's alright," she found herself saying. "The worst is over." _Funny, _she thought, _Caius said the same thing to me when I was recovering from an arrow to the stomach. Well, I'm just passing it forward, I guess._

"You're right," Corin breathed, shutting his eyes as he leaned his head back against the rubble he was sitting against. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Lightning said before she shifted her gaze to her other companion. "Caius, you think anybody heard that?"

"We were fortunate. Nobody is coming."

Lightning nodded in relief, dropping the arrow to the ground. That was good. Actually, it was one of the first strokes of good luck that they had. At least there was _something _good going on and not just the nightmares, pain, and being hunted. "Alright, well, what should we do now?"

"Get rid of Corin."

She looked over at Caius at his comment, furrowing her eyebrows slightly. "Well that's rude."

"He's the enemy."

"You really don't like showing compassion, do you?" she asked with minor irritation.

"No," he said without flinching. "I don't. Not towards people who would take advantage of it."

"Does he _look _like he's going to take advantage of us?" Lightning said as she motioned to the man on the ground. _Seriously, is Caius blinded by that much hatred? We just saved his life! He'll repay the favor somehow. And even if he doesn't, I wasn't about to let somebody defenseless die. _

"Appearances are deceiving. Look at you for example."

"Me?"

"Well, you don't **look **like a warrior necessarily," Caius said, not flinching at Lightning's glare like he should have. "You're small, thin…and…"

"And?" she said tensely. Caius's comments were coming across as insulting now. So what if she wasn't built big and brawny like other warriors? She did just fine the way that she was. Just because she was small didn't mean that she was weak.

"And beautiful," he finished.

Lightning's temper faded immediately. That was a compliment; she wasn't that dense. But it wasn't one that she ever heard before, or expected to hear. Beautiful. She was…beautiful? "As if," she muttered automatically, looking away.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Caius's look of disbelief. "Must I really do this in front of Corin?"

This time, she really was dense enough to not understand what he was saying. "Do what?"

"Convince you that you're beautiful."

"You don't have to convince me of anything," Lightning said as she shook her head. "I already know the truth. I'm not beautiful."

"Why not?" he challenged.

"You're really making me go over this in front of Corin?" she asked awkwardly.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I'll take my leave," Corin said as he rose to his feet.

"N-no, I didn't mean-" _I didn't mean to imply that you should leave. This conversation is already awkward; it's going to get worse the deeper in we get. _

"That's alright," he responded. "I'll just leave something here for you guys to look at when you're done." Corin pulled a book out from behind his back and set it down on the rubble, nodding faintly to both Lightning and Caius. "Hopefully I will meet you two again, whether it is because I am hunting you or because I am still alive."

Just like that, Corin started walking away from the scene. He disappeared behind some of the rubble and was gone.

"Well?" Caius prodded after a few moments.

"We're really having this conversation?" Lightning asked as she rose to her feet, still not looking up.

"Yes," he said evenly.

"Alright, fine," she said. "I'm not beautiful because I'm a warrior. I'm tough, stoic, and don't show my emotions well enough."

"You're referring to inward beauty," Caius responded more gently. "And I do not view those as ugly…" He trailed off, not finishing what he had to say until he saw Lightning's prodding expression. "Keeping emotions hidden is not a crime. Nor is being able to push them aside when necessary. Showing them is challenging, but you show your emotion more than you think."

"No way," she said in disbelief, shaking her head. "How do I show emotion?"

"Your eyes."

Lightning looked up at Caius then, meeting his eyes in stunned silence. She knew her eyes spoke volumes, but she didn't know that he could see emotions in them…or this beauty he claimed to see.

"Your eyes cannot lie, Lightning," he said gingerly. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

_Not going to drop this, huh? _she thought silently, looking down at the ground. Caius was certain that she was beautiful for some reason. But he wasn't inside her head. He didn't know how messed up she was. Still…his words meant something to her, incorrect or not. For her cheeks began to turn red as she tried to think of some other direction to take this conversation.

Looking to her right, she saw the book Corin left. She cleared her throat. "Let's take a look at this."

Caius decided to humor her, fortunately. "Alright, let's see what our enemy left us."

Ignoring the title Caius gave to Corin, Lightning picked up the book and turned it over so that she could see the title.

_Uses of Dragon Fragments_.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Hello hello! Sorry for the week-long wait, this past week has been INSANE. I had basically ZERO free time. It was terrible. Dx Other than that, life is okay. Just okay.**

**MusaBakaChan- Welcome to the story! Glad to have you aboard (:**

**Loxed- Glad you've made yourself known! Hope you get your computer fixed soon**

**xxx- bummer about the picture, but oh well, I suppose it can't be helped.**

**The Darkness Factor- I've never actually watched or played Pokemon (I must be one of the only people in my generation who hasn't xD)**

**Jchongmeeluk- I'm fine, but I'll accept that virtual chicken noodle soup! Delicious (: It's just been an insane week.**

**The rest: I can't believe so many of you are Legend of Korra fans! SEASON FINALE TOMORROW MORNING. Crazy that it's ending already. Hopefully the next season has more character development, especially with Bolin. I have lots of opinions on the show, but I'll save that rant for another day when I'm more awake. **

**Peanut's out for the night. Peace. (This is how Peanut talks when she's exhausted as she is now. Sorry for the quirkiness). **


	17. Chapter 17: Dragons and Demons

Chapter Seventeen: Dragons and Demons

It was one week after Corin left Lightning and Caius _Uses for Dragon Fragments _that they found themselves in a completely new time period and place. Well, at least it was new for their journey together. The location and the time were intimately familiar to Lightning, whether she liked it or not. And for the most part, she did not.

The year was 1 BF, before the fall of Cocoon. The location: Bodhum. Specifically, Lightning's home.

Sadly, this was the place where the book led them. The passage that convinced them to come here was something engraved in her mind permanently.

"_Dragons are very powerful creatures. So powerful that when they are killed by somebody stronger than they are, they leave behind a fragment—a piece of their strength that they grant to the person who defeats them. It is a sign of respect for that person, for although they killed the dragon, their strength was respectable even to those who died at the blades of that person. _

"_So, what does one do with these pieces of strength? Simply holding onto them does not grant the wielder any strength. One of the most popular uses of dragon fragments is to crush them into a fine powder and scatter it over a weapon. That increases the weapon's power tenfold, along with granting various other abilities. The wielder of the weapon attributes abilities from that dragon. An example is that if one were to kill an ice dragon and spread that fragment over their weapon, they would excel in ice magic. _

"_Yet there are more powerful uses for the fragments than to turn them into powder. Crushing it actually does weaken the original power of the gems since much of the powder floats away. __**Melting **__the fragments, however, does not weaken the gems. Some have tried to melt the gems and pour the liquid right over their weapon. But that itself is also risky. The weapon actually becomes fragile with such a strong outside but a weaker core. No, there is only one way to truly harness a power great enough to kill absolutely any foe: Turning the fragments into projectiles."_

And that was what Lightning and Caius were doing now. They followed the instructions of the book to melt down the fragments. That alone took three days. Then they poured the melted gems into the molds Lightning stole from the empty Guardian Corps base. They were molds for bullets. Bullets for Lightning's gunblade.

They had enough to make five bullets. Only five. But with the power that they harnessed, hopefully the five bullets would help them destroy Etro.

_Now, all there is to do is wait, _Lightning thought as she laid on her old bed. They had to leave the bullets in the molds for another day to make sure that they truly were hardened and unbreakable. That was actually alright. Her old home made a good safe house despite the memories connected to it. She had a security system set up so that not even one of Etro's warriors could get inside undetected. No, this past week had been very peaceful for both Caius and Lightning.

Except for the nightmares of course. Caius still sent Lightning to a dream world every night so that she wouldn't have to hear only screams all night. The dreams were unpleasant, but not as maddening as the screams. Still, she was trying to fight off sleep at that very moment because of the dreams. She hadn't slept in nearly two days and the exhaustion was caught up with her now. She needed sleep, whether she was going to admit it or not.

"Caius," Lightning mumbled to the man who stood on the other side of the room. She was going to pass out, and if he didn't cast his spell before she was knocked out, it would be a night of torment. She needed him.

While she was lying on her side on her bed, she heard Caius's soft footsteps approaching her. His feelings were becoming more and more apparent now that they actually had a time of peace and were able to reflect more on everything. Though they had an argument about it before, Lightning had to admit to herself that Caius really did make her feel special. Beautiful. …Even loved.

Caius sat down on the bed behind Lightning, lifting his hand to her bare shoulder and automatically running a finger over it. "Before I do," he started quietly, "I have a request."

"Hm?"

"Allow me to enter the dream as well," Caius requested. "I'll face the demons with you."

"You can do that?" she muttered in surprise, glancing over her shoulder to see his sincere eyes.

He nodded. "Yes."

Lightning studied him for a few more moments, not because she doubted that he was telling the truth. She was doubting that he was prepared for what was going on inside her head. Did she really want him seeing what she saw every night? It was like exposing her entire soul to him… Not that she didn't trust him. She did. But opening up entirely to any one person was something that Lightning simply did not do. Ever.

Yet tonight, she would. She nodded faintly to him, turning her head on the pillow so she was facing away from him as she shut her eyes. "Do it," she said softly.

For a few moments, there was only silence as her response. Caius must have been just as shocked as she was about letting him in. Yet after a few seconds, he recovered. Lightning felt Caius's hand move from her shoulder to her face as his fingertips ran down from her temple, to her cheek, and then to her jaw. That wasn't necessary for the spell. If he really wanted to put her to sleep, he could have just put his hand on her head. But he didn't, because he was bolder in showing his feelings now. And Lightning was more willing to accept them…And show a few of her own.

Drowsiness began to kick in, the same as always. She peeked her heavy eyes open just one more time to see the room begin to blur before she lost consciousness and entered the dream world.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Caius took up residence in Lightning's dream soon after she fell asleep. He shut his eyes and laid down on the bed behind her while keeping one of her hands in his as he drifted into slumber.

The dream world certainly was not what he expected it to be. Lightning had told him that she experienced nightmares every night because the screaming was not tuned out completely. Yet there was noise that was far more prominent than the soft cry of Serah and Lightning's other lost loved ones.

The sound of laughter penetrated Caius's ears.

Confused, he looked around the area that he was in. He was along the shores of Bodhum, at an empty part of the beach. But it was not completely empty. Two little girls with pink hair ran past him, laughing with joy as they ran towards another figure. Their father.

"I'm seven years old."

Caius grunted, looking over to the side when he heard the familiar voice. Lightning suddenly stood beside him, staring at the two girls as they glomped their father on the sandy shores of the beach.

"Seven," Lightning repeated. "Serah was four. We used to come to the beach to play with our father every once in a while. "

_So, your dreams are reliving your life? _Caius thought to himself, looking back to the two children as they finally got off their father and continued giggling with mirth. _But you stated that your dreams are nightmares. This seems pleasant enough. _"I'm a bit confused," he said to Lightning.

She didn't bother responding to him. She only kept her eyes on the three that were several feet in front of them and unaware of their presence. Caius, along with the two young girls, quickly became aware of something else. Something was wrong. Lightning's father was sitting upright on the ground, coughing harshly because he was unable to catch his breath.

"_Dad," _the young Lightning whispered, alarmed as she and Serah stood within half a foot of their father. Still he continued to cough. And cough. And cough. When Lightning saw her sister's fright, she stepped closer to Serah and turned her around so that she was facing the other direction. Lightning then put a hand on her father's shoulder. She was trying so hard to be brave and strong, but the fear showed in her eyes as she continued staring at her father.

"We went to the beach with my dad only once a year, if we were fortunate," Lightning continued as the scene unfolded. "Because he was sick. He was rarely well enough to have play days with me and Serah. While my mom worked full time to support him and his medical bills, I tried my best to care for him."

Caius gave her a startled look. "You were seven." _Only seven. _

"Yeah," she said apathetically. "I was."

"What was he sick with?"

She shook her head. "We never knew."

The scene before them changed. While they stood still, darkness closed in and swallowed the beach. Caius knew this wasn't an occurrence of the day; this was only a part of the dream. Lightning's mind was jumping to another memory.

And that memory was another one Caius didn't expect. He had believed Lightning's words would lead to a sadder memory, one of death. But this one was of life.

The two of them stood in a hospital room, surrounding a mother and her newborn child. Lightning's mother, also donning the Farron pink hair and blue eyes, was sitting upright in a hospital bed with a quiet child in her arms.

"_She's so pwetty, Mom!" _Serah cried with joy as she leaned onto the bed and stared at the infant with wide eyes. Beside her, the eight year old Lightning nodded in agreement. The small smile that she wore was one that showed her happiness was not hindered by any tragedies of her past. She was genuinely happy and content at that moment.

Lightning's mother smiled to Serah before she looked at her husband standing on the other side of the bed. _"She has your eyes, sweetheart,"_ she said quietly. The words brought a smile out of her husband, and if Caius was a more sensitive person, he would have smiled too. But he had a feeling that this scene wasn't a completely happy one, for the same reasons as before.

The Lightning beside him only confirmed his thoughts as the scene before them dissolved into darkness yet again. "It was a happy day," she said. "Rose's birth. We took her home for only a day before my Dad suddenly got sicker than he ever did before. So we came back to the hospital. And three days later, he died."

Reflecting this, the images of Lightning's memory created a new scene around them. The funeral of her father. A cold and rainy day, with the sky devoid of any signs of light. As they lowered her father's casket into the grave, Lightning's mother remained standing off to the side alone while Lightning had the burden of holding onto baby Rose, who was upset at the tension in the air and the fact that her mother refused to hold her.

"Rose looked so much like my Dad," Lightning said. "It was hard on all of us to have a living reminder of somebody who was dead. Especially for my mother." As she explained, the scene changed to show exactly what she was saying. "For weeks after the funeral, my mother couldn't even look at Rose. Rose needed her, but all that she had was me. I was the one who was tasked with feeding her, changing her, and staying up all night with her. I skipped school for weeks to take care of her, and during that time, I hated my mom. She wasn't giving me a chance to grieve like I needed to. I shoved my emotions away and became the adult of the family at the age of eight."

_That's…horrible, _Caius thought. "And Serah?" he asked curiously.

"I forced Serah to go back to kindergarten only a day or two after the funeral. I didn't want her being forced into the same position I was in. She didn't need the weight of the household on her shoulders. She couldn't handle it anyway. She was too young."

"Did you ever stop hating your mother?"

"The hatred died down over time," Lightning responded quietly. "Within two months of the funeral, she was finally functioning again. She took care of Rose and started being a mother to me and Serah again. I wasn't happy with her for being neglectful but I put on a mask so I wouldn't cause anymore grief in the family."

"Always the mask," Caius muttered as he shook his head faintly. He knew she utilized masks often. Now he knew why.

"Yeah, well, life had to continue eventually. And it did. I returned to school and my mom stayed home with Rose for a long time. We didn't have family to help us, but we had enough money to get by on our own. It helped that I did everything I could to help with finances. "

"Such as?"

She shrugged. "Clipping coupons. Buying the cheapest food. Doing chores for teachers at school for a little extra cash. Everything was fine for a few years after that, other than the obvious missing my dad and still feeling like the adult of the family."

"So what changed?" he asked her.

When Lightning didn't respond right away, he looked away from the scene of the happier home and gazed at the woman beside him instead. Her expression was sad. "Too much," she nearly whispered. "Too much changed, too quickly. Rose…Inherited the mysterious disease that my father had."

Again a new scene appeared. Another funeral.

"That quickly?" Caius grunted in surprise. No build up or anything? Rose just…died?

"She showed signs of being sick only two weeks," Lightning said in a voice that was uncharacteristically weak. "We took her to the hospital, but she was only five years old at the time. She wasn't strong enough to survive as long as my dad did, or beat the illness."

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't apologize," she snapped without looking over. "I **hate **it when people apologize for their deaths. 'Sorry' means you regret something you did. You couldn't do anything for my family. Nobody could."

He wasn't sure what to say at Lightning's outburst, but he did know what not to say. It was time for him to ask another question, instead of saying the lines that hundreds must have said to her when she lost her little sister and her father. "What happened after that?" he asked more gently.

"Life went on. Again," Lightning said in a tone that was still tense but calmer than before. "By this point, I was fourteen and Serah was eleven. My mother had been working a job the past few years to support the family but resigned after taking a leave of absence to grieve for Rose. She was never the same after that."

Lightning was quiet for a few moments. Only darkness surrounded them, and she continued to stare into it with a somber expression. Caius realized in the back of his mind that Lightning had yet to gaze at him since he entered the dream world with her. She hardly acknowledged him accept to answer his questions. He wondered if she even realized he was there. "Lightning?" he tried, lifting a hand and putting it on her shoulder. He was surprised when she really was there, and not just a figment of his imagination. Still she didn't look over at him. But she did acknowledge him.

"Look," she said.

He followed Lightning's instruction, and easily so, since a scene was appearing before them. Shock filled his heart and forced him to release a grunt. "Her too?" he asked, for right in front of him, he saw another funeral.

Lightning nodded, her somber expression also betraying sadness. "It was about half a year after Rose's death."

"But why?" he asked. "The disease was on your father's side, was it not?" What caused the death of her mother?

"It was," she confirmed. "She didn't die from a disease, despite what any papers out there say. She really died…from a broken heart."

Caius's eyes softened as he gazed at the funeral. The casket was lowered into the ground by now, and most people disappeared from the scene. It was only Lightning and Serah for a few moments, but then Serah faded away. As soon as Lightning was alone, her body began to shake with the sobs of remorse and sorrow. His heart broke for hers, though he couldn't see her face. He was gazing at her from behind, witnessing her shaking body as she tried to control herself so she didn't break down completely. The reason for that was obvious: if she lowered the mask for too long, it would be harder to put it back on. He witnessed as much when Lightning was coping with Serah's death.

"So this is your life," he said quietly.

"Not all of it," Lightning said in a hard but sad tone.

Though Caius was confused for a moment, he quickly figured out that he wouldn't need to ask what else had happened to her. For the funeral memories disappeared and a new one appeared.

"Just watch, Caius," she said as she finally spoke his name. "You'll understand."

The two of them now stood as invisible spectators inside a school building. It was a nearly deserted hallway, with the lights dull like school lights normally wore in unused parts of the building. Yet this hallway was not completely useless; some students used it to get from class to class when they were stalling and avoiding the class.

On this day, the fifteen year old Lightning was walking through this hallway to her chemistry class. She took this route because she didn't want to arrive to class early and face some of her harsh classmates. There were three boys in her grade who seemed to get their delight in making her suffer. If Lightning arrived to class and sat there with them for a few minutes before the teacher, she would hear them mocking her. Even for a few minutes, it would have been bad. This was only a few days after her mother's funeral after all. Her first day back in school.

"_Well, look who's back!" a voice sneered. _

_Lightning looked down the hall, and her heart dropped when she saw the three bullies approaching her. Apparently they wanted to be late to chemistry as well. _

"_Claire's back!" Taylor, the blond haired bully stated with a smirk. He and the other two, Jeff and Harry, approached the girl who decided to remain where she was and glare at them. Walking away would encourage them to chase her. But remaining where she was allowed them to force her against the wall even if a few feet separated them. _

"_Where have you been Claire?" Jeff asked. _

_Claire didn't respond. _

"_Oh yeah!" Harry cried as if just remembering. "You were at your dead mom's funeral! What a sorry excuse to miss school. It's just another funeral to you, isn't it?"_

_Still she didn't say a word, but she was gritting her teeth to fight the urge to growl. _

"_You don't have to act so angry," Harry laughed. "Be yourself with us, Claire. We already know you've been to at least two other funerals in your life—Your dad's and your little sister's. You gotta be apathetic to all the death surrounding you."_

"_Yeah," Claire finally said lowly. "I do." She __**did **__have to be apathetic to it, because she really was the only one left now who could take care Serah. She wasn't allowed to have emotion anymore. Only strength that seemed so far out of her reach. _

"_Oh-ho, you agree then!" Taylor exclaimed. "That's nice. Glad you can be honest with us, Claire."_

"_Why do you keep saying my name?" she muttered in frustration and anger. Her name was her mother's middle name. It ticked her off that they were using it every other sentence._

"_Because it gets under your skin," he shrugged. "Why else? Seeing you tick is what we enjoy most."_

"_Claire. __**Orphan **__Claire!"Jeff laughed. "Hey, that's your new nickname! "Orphan Claire!"_

"_Orphan Claire!" the other two repeated. _

"_No parents left to take care of Orphan Claire now."_

"_Nobody to put food on the table," one added. _

"_Nobody to give you a home…"_

"_No one to love Orphan Claire but Serah."_

"_And no one to keep Serah from going into foster care!" Harry finished with a laugh. "Orphan Claire, all alone."_

"_Orphan Claire. Orphan Claire. Orphan Claire…" _

_They kept repeating it. Over and over. Claire was obviously trying to keep it together, but the words just kept wringing in her ears. Orphan Claire. She really was an orphan now. With nobody to look out for her. Serah wouldn't do it; she wouldn't let her. Which meant that she had to do it. _

_Starting now._

_As the three boys laughed, something within Claire snapped. Before she even recognized what she was doing, her fist was flying. Fast as lightning, she slugged Jeff with enough force to knock him back several feet into the next wall. _

_That got the boys to stop laughing at her. Claire steamed, glaring at them as the two still standing stared at her in absolute shock. But even in the fury of her anger, she knew what she just did was serious. Punching another student inside of the school was no light matter. _Gotta go, _she thought to herself. _

_So she left the scene. She left the __**school **__and went home. When Serah got there, the two of them had a talk._

"_Claire?" Serah called as she entered the front door. As Serah walked further into the house, she found Claire sitting on the couch in the living room. "Why weren't you on the bus?"_

"_I quit school."_

"_What?"_

_She nodded. "And I just filled out the paperwork online. Starting tomorrow, you're starting cyber school."_

"_Why? I like school!"_

"_Because," she said evenly. "That's how it is now."_

_The twelve year old Serah, ever the kind sister, didn't lash out at Lightning though she didn't like the situation. "What happened, Claire?"_

"_Lightning."_

"_Lightning? It's not storming outside…"_

"_No," she said. "From now on, I want you to call me Lightning."_

_Now Serah was hopelessly confused. "I don't understand."_

"_I know you don't."_

"_And you can't explain—"_

"_No." She couldn't explain what caused this name change. Serah wouldn't understand anyway. _

_But at least she understood enough to drop the topic. "Okay," she said as she looked down at the ground. She was humoring "Lightning". "I start cyber school tomorrow. What are you going to do?"_

"_Cyber school," Lightning said with a nod. "Whenever I have free time."_

"_What else do you have in mind?"_

"_I'm going to get a job tomorrow."_

"_Where?"_

_Where became clear when the memory jumped to the next occasion. The scene changed from Lightning's home to the outdoors of Bodhum, right outside a government building where four men and the fifteen year old girl stood._

"_You want to join the Guardian Corps?" Officer Carson laughed. "Is this a joke?"_

"_It's not," Lightning said in all seriousness. _

"_We don't accept fifteen year old girls," Lieutenant Jackson said as he tried to keep his composure. "I'm sorry, little lady."_

"_We do accept them into the training program though," a kinder official named Amador said. _

"_Amador, the sap as always. Look at her! She's puny!"_

"_Not all soldiers need to be as well built as you, Sanders," he said as he gave the overweight man a look. "Besides, don't you see that fire in her eye? This girl's a fighter. Isn't that right, uh…?"_

"_Lightning," she said as she offered her name. "And yes, sir, I am a fighter."_

"_I wanna see what you got, Lightning. You know anything about fighting?"_

"_Yeah. I'm really good at it."_

_Carson and Sanders snickered at each other. _

"_What's your weapon, Lightning?" Jackson asked in a mocking tone. "A sweet smile to scare off offenders?"_

"_I'm not sweet. …And I don't have a weapon of preference." _

_That probably wasn't the wisest thing to admit, but Lieutenant Amador still showed kindness towards her. "Well then," he said. "Why don't you come with me to the shed? We'll pick something out for you and pair you up in a fight against one of our trainees. Sound good?"_

"_Yes sir," she said. The only reason she gave him proper respect was because he was respecting her. It was hard for her at the time to keep her anger within her with these men mocking her, but she managed because at least one person was giving her a chance. _

_An hour later, the fight was over. It only took Lightning ten minutes to fight the student (who was chosen because it was believed that he would easily defeat her) and prove to all the officers that she really Guardian Corps material. All that was shown in the memory was the end of the fight, with the poor soldier down on the ground with the tip of a gunblade at his throat. _

"_I'll admit that I'm impressed," Carson said. "But there's still no place in the GC for a fifteen year old girl."_

"_Not with you maybe," Amador inserted. "There is with me though."_

"_Where?" the other three officers asked in surprise. _

_He only shrugged. "I'll find some place for her."_

_And he did. He spoke to Lightning often when he brought her in to work, mentoring her and teaching her that though she worked at the bottom now, she would someday rise to be better than all of the officers who put her down. _

"I wouldn't have gotten through my teenage years without Lieutenant Amador," Lightning confessed, speaking for the first time in a while. "He didn't take the place of my parents, but he was somebody who gave me an outlet for a lot of the grief I experienced. We didn't talk about it much…He just had me fight against some of the other trainees when he could tell I was having a bad day. It meant…A lot to me."

"It's about time somebody was able to help you," Caius agreed.

She nodded, then continued filling in details of her life. "I worked doing whatever Lieutenant Amador wanted me to do, while I also received training on the side so I could join the Corps. They had a rule that you could join as soon as you graduated high school. So on top of working a full time job, helping Serah with schoolwork, and taking care of all the affairs parents normally had to do, I took almost two years of classes in one year. I managed to graduate right before my seventeenth birthday. From there, I joined the Corps and managed to rise to the position of sergeant and was nearly an officer, but then the Purge happened."

"I know the story from there," he said with a nod of his own. Serah was originally branded a l'cie, and Lightning volunteered for the Purge to try and retrieve Serah. In the end, Serah turned to crystal and Lightning became a l'cie. She completed her focus—in a strange sort of way. Etro freed her from her crystal stasis and forced her into being her servant. That was the rest of it.

"Yeah, you do."

Yet another memory churned before them, even if the story was apparently complete. Blackness surrounded them but a lone figure was appearing out of the nothingness to stand before them.

Serah.

"Lightning," Serah said in a heartbroken voice. At this, her sister finally squeezed her eyes shut. "Lightning…"

"It's not Serah," she said through her teeth to Caius. "Only a memory."

"Are you certain?" he asked.

"Why did you do this to me, Lightning?" Serah asked in the same tone.

"I'm sure," Lightning said to Caius. "The real Serah wouldn't make me feel guilty like this."

"I wanted to see you, so badly," Serah whispered. "I set off on my journey to find you, but you made me change my journey so that it was about saving the timeline and not getting to you. That detour cost me my life…"

"It was your choice to die," Caius growled defensively. "You knew what would happen!"

"Stop."

He grunted, looking over at the girl beside him at the quiet order. "Lightning?"

"It's not her," she repeated. "She won't transform what she's saying to make it gentler. She's only a manifestation created by Etro to haunt me. That's all…"

Caius turned his head and studied Lightning, who looked like she was in physical pain again. The rest of her past, she had some type of closure on. But this was a fresh wound. Serah's words, true or not, were killing her spirit. "We need to wake up," he realized. This part of the dream needed to end immediately. Lightning's _suffering _needed to come to a close.

"No," Lightning said quietly. "I still need the sleep. I'm exhausted. …And if I'm going to be stuck here, I'm glad I'm not alone."

"You don't always have to be so strong, you know," he said gently.

"I'm only being rational. Do I look strong to you right now?"

"Yes," he said evenly. "You do. And that isn't necessarily a good thing."

"Well now isn't the time to discuss it," she said. Serah's whimpering was in the background, and she winced at it.

"Are you sure conversation won't drown it out until you awaken?"

"I'm sure. Especially with the way that this conversation is going. It'll only make things worse and bring me closer to being broken."

"Healing begins from brokenness."

"And so does weakness," Lightning responded without looking over at Caius. "I can't afford weakness right now, not with Etro breathing down our necks. Healing can come later."

"Emotions aren't weakness Lightning," Caius said firmly. He stepped over in front of Lightning, standing between her and Serah as he sternly put his hands on her shoulders. "Emotions give purpose to action. You're hunting Etro because you're angry and sorrowful. Emotions drive you. For that reason, they are perhaps the strongest thing within a person."

"Then if I released those emotions, I'd be too strong. It's too much to release, Caius…" Finally, Lightning looked up at Caius. He was shocked to see that her eyes were moist. She really _was _accepting her emotions, because she couldn't ignore then any longer.

Caius knew one thing: He wasn't going to ignore them either. For the first time, he slid his hands onto Lightning's back and pulled her into his chest in an embrace.

Shock was her first obvious response. Caius Ballad was a man driven by emotion, but he was strong. Inside of her head, he could tell that she was considering whether to have the same strength that he did—strength that allowed emotions to be honest, blunt, and always present.

When she reached her conclusion, he knew it. For she tentatively wrapped her arms around his lower waist in response and turned her cheek against his chest. She accepted her emotions. And she accepted **him. **

All the signs were present that she did accept him even before this. He stayed closer to her than he would have had to if he did not have feelings for her. He was gentle and tender with sparing her from the curse of Etro's Ears every night. He protected her life and her emotions. And she…The tough, stoic soldier who never truly let anyone protect her in the past, allowed him to do exactly as he wanted to do. Not just recently, but in this reality as well.

So for an extremely long time, Caius only held Lightning in his arms. He stood as a barrier between her and the false Serah as the latter continued crying out to Lightning. She placed the blame on her, screamed for her to listen to what she had to say, and just plain cried to try and get through to Lightning. But so long as Caius was there, Lightning would know for sure that she wasn't alone.

"Serah" eventually gave up and left them in the cold silence. That was where they remained until Caius sensed that the sun had risen in the real world. "Lightning," he called quietly to the young woman still standing in his embrace.

When she nodded against his chest, he knew that it was alright to lift the sleeping charm off the two of them.

Caius held her closely and shut his eyes, lowering his head closer to hers as the two of them arose out of their slumber to the rising of a new day.

*…*…*…*…*

**Hey all! Hope you enjoyed the chapter; I know I did. ;3 I love coming up with backstories for Lightning, and having a bit more of her humanity revealed. **

**To all who got the "arrow to the knee joke", I'm so glad you did! I've never played Skyrim but I thought it'd be great to throw in the reference for those of you who do. xD**

**ChronaxDeathTheKid- Yeah, there's nothing good on TV :/ I don't have a Playstation Network account; I play xiii and xiii-2 on the Xbox 360. I'm so glad I inspire you, hearing things like this make me feel totally awesome! **

**NekoCapsule- I already have the ending written up, and I promise you'll like it (: I probably wouldn't read a fic about a reality show, or any fic, just because I've lost interest in reading fics in the past year or so. Sorry about that!**

**Darkiss0777- Yay for me being cooler! xD And I do have a Tumblr, yes. Afraid I'm not willing to give the name out on this site though, since it's pretty personal aside from all the LoK stuff I reblog.**

**AJ- The petty argument in chapter 1 was so much fine to write. xD So unlike their characters but somehow fitting at the same time (hey, it makes sense in my head). **

**If I didn't respond to you and you wanted me to, sorry! I try not to respond to every little detail, just because there's not always something to say. If you want me to talk to you, just say so and I will. X)**

**And on another note—I'm going away this coming week and won't have access to the internet or any computers. So the next chapter will be coming in about a week and a half, when I get back. Sorry about that, but hopefully this awesome chapter should hold you guys over!**

**Peanut**


	18. Chapter 18: Closure

Chapter Eighteen: Closure

By this point, Lightning was used to waking up in a daze. Ever since Caius began using that sleep charm on her, she realized that she slept more deeply and had a harder time waking up. Today was no exception, especially when she felt warmer inside and out than she had felt in a very long time. Peeking her eyes open, she wasn't surprised to see that Caius's arm was wrapped overtop hers that was over her stomach. She laid on her side and he laid on his behind her, with his chest pressed against her back. His hand was overtop hers, so she tiredly spread her fingers apart and allowed his to sink down so that they were between them. There. That was better.

As her fingers were laced with his, she realized that Caius was just as awake as she was. His thumb started to run over the back of her hand, which was gloved as always. At that instant, she wished that she had taken it off, just to feel him a little bit closer to her. She had been so tentative to admit it, but things were different now. Caius wasn't just a former enemy. He became her ally, then a friend. And now—

"Good morning," he murmured in her ear, interrupting her thoughts. He spoke as if waking up to being in his embrace was perfectly natural. It actually was becoming more and more normal, along with the bond that they somehow created recently.

"Good morning," Lightning muttered in return. Her eyes fell shut again as she remained where she was. She had no desire to move.

"Thank you."

"Huh?" she asked curiously. She tried to glance over at him without moving, but with their positions, it was impossible. And since she still didn't want to move, she just looked at the wall in front of her. "Why are you thanking me?"

"I'm giving thanks for your willingness to let me join you in that world. You really do trust me."

"Hmph," Lightning hummed with a small smirk. "Yeah, I guess that's pretty obvious by now."

"Your trust is not misplaced, Lightning."

"It's not," she agreed. Trusting Caius…It was indescribable. But indescribable in a good way. She hardly trusted anybody, and now she was trusting somebody who was after her heart. _So, so strange… _"Thanks to you too. I was glad to have you with me."

Though she couldn't see it, Caius smiled ever so slightly. "You're welcome," he said as he gently pressed his face against the back of Lightning's head.

The action caused feelings to arise in Lightning's heart—feelings that she wasn't sure if she was ready to confess to aloud or show any physical reaction to. But Caius did just get done telling her that emotions weren't something to run from. That was a lesson that she had to learn, because Lightning found her strength in being apathetic and discarding emotions. Claire, on the other hand… "Hey, Caius?" she said quietly after a few moments.

"Mm?"

"I haven't told you why I changed my name from Lightning to Claire, have I?"

Though the answer was obvious (she had never mentioned her past to him before), he humored her in the question instead of pointing out her poor choice in words. "No, but your dreams help give me an idea of why you changed," he responded honestly. "It happened that day after the bullies, didn't it?"

"Yeah. I know it doesn't really matter why I picked the name Lightning, but…" She sighed, rolling over onto her back so that she could look at Caius as she spoke. "To be perfectly honest, it's not something that I've shared with anyone. Just getting it out in the open would be good."

"Alright," he agreed understandingly. "Why did you choose 'Lightning' as your new name?"

"For one thing, I always had lightning fast reflexes. You saw that one in the memory where I punched out that bully in school."

A soft chuckle left his lips at the remembrance. "I must confess, it was very satisfying to see you hit him."

Slowly, a small smirk appeared on her lips as well. "Yeah, that was one of my prouder moments in life. Along with showing all the officers that I was Guardian Corps material."

"What other reasons do you have?"

"Do you remember that the day of my father's funeral was a rainy one?"

"Yes."

"Well, there was a lightning storm that day," she explained. "The lightning in the sky, snapping suddenly and violently, was the same as my anger. Only I kept my anger bottled up inside of me all those years, until I punched the bully. I became lightning itself—violent, angry, and ready to lash out at anything and not be afraid to admit to it."

"There was something that you once said before," he remembered. "To Hope Estheim…"

At that, she nodded and glanced away. "I told him that lightning flashed bright, then faded away. It only had the power to destroy. And that's what I am. I only destroy, Caius. I'm a flash in one moment, clear as day, and then I'm gone. All that lingers where I've been is destruction."

"That's not true," he whispered. When she refused to look over at him, he insisted that she did. "Look at me, please." Lightning turned her head to look over at him, and once again, he could tell that she was keeping her emotions within her. She was still afraid to release them, but that was alright. This change would take time. "You've done the opposite of destruction with me. You saved me from being destruction. You've redeemed me. Others in life will also tell you that you have changed them for the better. That is not demolition."

"You know," she said quietly after a few moments. "I told Hope to call me 'Light' instead of 'Lightning' shortly into our journey together. It was a softer side of me—a young woman who was still tough but willing to at least associate herself with another person. I really found another identity in each of the names that I've had. Claire, Lightning, and Light. It's like they're all different people…" Lightning laughed bitterly, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm really messed up."

"No more messed up than I am," he assured her with a gentle chuckle. "I wanted to destroy all things for the sake of one soul. I was insane to think the exchange was worth it. I should have found another way to save Yeul."

"Guess we were both a little insane in the past, huh?" she said with a faint smile.

"I'm not entirely sure that I'm sane, with what has been churning in my heart lately."

Lightning knew what he was referring to—It was obvious. He was referring to his feelings for her. "One insanity problem at a time, Caius," she requested gently. "I still need to cope with my two alter egos."

"Two? Don't you mean three?"

"No," she said with a small shake of her head. "Only two. Lightning and Light. Claire died a long time ago to me."

"Why is that?"

"I'll show you." Finally, Lightning took her hand away from Caius's and sat up on the bed. Though she could feel his curious eyes boring on her as he also moved into an upright position, she only pushed herself off the bed and walked over to her dresser at the other side of the bedroom. Her body blocked Caius's view of what she was doing, but she honestly didn't care if he saw what she was doing or not. It wasn't as if they were ever going to come back to this place again. That was what she assumed anyway.

Back on topic, Lightning opened the top drawer and reached underneath a pile of clothes. She pulled out an item that she hadn't looked at since she was fifteen years old: a journal.

The journal only had one entry in it from her. One that she wrote within the same week as her name change. She cleared her throat as she turned to the page, preparing herself for the pain that the words would bring to her. Still, she knew she needed this out in the open. Somebody needed to understand her.

"_Now you know why I picked the name Lightning" _she read, skipping to the middle paragraph and not bothering with the first one or two that explained exactly what she said to Caius a minute ago. "_I've already decided that Lightning is immensely different than Claire was. Lightning is fearless. She can face anything that comes her way. She shows no pain, so nobody takes advantage of her vulnerability. If anyone crosses her, she makes them regret it. Lightning is what Claire never was. Lightning is __**strong**__. _

"_Claire was never strong like Lightning is. Claire felt sorrow and fear every waking moment of every day. Terror overwhelmed her when she thought about life without the ones that she loved. First Dad, then Rose, and then Mom. Lightning doesn't dwell on that. Lightning tells herself that the past is done with and there's no point reflecting on the pain it brought. She was in charge now, and she would do whatever needed to be done in order to protect the one treasure she had left: Serah._

"_Do I wish that things were different? Yeah, I do. I've lost the good attributes that Claire had when I changed into Lightning. Claire was able to face the sorrow and wear a smile in hopes that the sun would come out the next day, but Lightning doesn't have that happiness. Happiness eludes me now. Nevertheless, here I am. That girl Claire doesn't matter now. Only the future matters. Pain isn't something I feel anymore. I feel __**nothing**__. Compared to the grief I've felt all throughout life, apathy is so much better. For that reason, I'm happy to exchange Claire's happiness and suffering for total apathy._

"_I am Lightning. That is all I ever can and will be. And that's that."_

That was all that she had written in the journal. That was what she kept bottled up for years now. She sighed and lowered the booklet to her side, staring down at the ground with half open eyes. She purposely got rid of the girl Claire and became a new person, because the grief wasn't so violent and terrifying. Claire wouldn't have run away from her problems like that, but Lightning did. Ever since Lightning came into existence, that was what she did. She ran.

From his spot on the edge of the bed, Caius was squinting at a part of the book. "What is that symbol in the lower corner of the page?" he asked.

"What symbol?" Lightning asked in return, though she didn't wait for an answer. She lifted the journal and looked for herself. There, in the bottom right corner, was a cat symbol. Serah's favorite thing to doodle when she was a young teenager. _Serah, _she thought with wide eyes, seeing the arrow that was drawn beneath that cat to signal that she was supposed to turn to the next page.

Her fingers couldn't move quickly enough. The normally composed Lightning fumbled with the corner of the book for a second or two before she was finally able to grasp it and turn the page.

Much to her shock, there was a note written in Serah's hand writing in response to Lightning's journal entry.

"_Hey Lightning, sorry I found your journal; I was looking for something and stumbled upon it. I hope you're not too mad at me for reading it, and shedding a few tears over it (if you find this soon enough after I've written this in, you'll probably notice a few tear drops that wet the pages). I'm sorry in advance for snooping. But I'm more sorry I didn't do it sooner. _

"_I can't believe I'm finding this four years after you changed your name. I can't believe that I didn't figure out sooner why you changed your name. I had a feeling it was something like this, but I didn't know the full extent of your suffering. Lightning, you haven't lost Claire completely. Don't you see? You're still my sister. Claire loved me and did everything she could for me. You share the same devotion. You always were determined, strong, and standing tall. I guess your definitions changed for what you view as strong though. It's okay. I know emotions can sometimes make you feel weak, because emotions make you lose motivation or whatever so quickly. _

"_What I'm trying to say is that you haven't lost yourself completely. You still are Claire as much as you're Lightning. Your name doesn't have to define you. Why do Claire and Lightning need to be two different people? Why can't you blend Claire's hope and happiness with Lightning's ability to face the task at hand? I know it's hard, because becoming Claire and having hope means you're vulnerable to being disappointed when things go wrong. But trust me—having hope and being disappointed is much better than feeling nothing but anger the rest of your life. I've been there too. I was angry at the world for letting us suffer so much, and at mom for grieving so harshly and forcing you to become a parent to me and Rose. But you yourself convinced me not to be apathetic. You kept moving forward, knowing pain but choosing to hope for a better future. You're great, sis. You always have been._

"_I love you. If you ever find this note and want to talk to me about all this stuff you have buried, you know where I am. And if you want to act like you didn't read this, that's okay too. I know that someday, you'll regain the hope and happiness that you used to have._

_Love,_

_Serah"_

Lightning's eyes danced over the writing once she was done reading, though she wasn't specifically taking in the words again. One read through was enough for the message to sink through. No, she was really staring at it because this was a piece of Serah. A connection to her sister that she never even knew existed. Serah had actually understood what Lightning experienced. And she, wise beyond her years, had a possible solution to Lightning's current problem. "Serah," she whispered, pulling the journal close to her heart.

"Serah?"

She turned her head to the side of the room, seeing the man that she had nearly forgotten about standing by the foot of the bed now. "She found my journal," she told Caius in a voice full of emotion. "She found it and responded to my concerns."

Caius studied her, staying where he was as the faintest sign of a smile appeared on his lips. "It appears that this has given you some kind of closure," he said, as quick witted as ever. Even without reading the letter, he could see Lightning's expression and study how much this meant to her.

"Here," Lightning said, walking over to him and handing him the notebook. "You can read it."

"Are you certain?" he asked as he stared into her eyes.

"Yeah. I just…I need a minute. I'll be right back."

"Take as much time as you need," Caius said. He accepted the book out of Lightning's hands, but waited for her to walk out of the room before he took it and read.

In the mean time, Lightning had a specific destination that she was heading to. She wasn't just leaving the room for a moment of privacy; she was leaving because she needed to go to Serah's room. Not to look for something—She just needed to be in the presence of all of her sister's belongings.

Lightning stepped into the room down the hall, seeing that it was as Serah left it. This time period was right after the Purge, so Serah was long gone by now. So was Lightning for that matter; she could have even been to Gran Pulse by now. The point was, her past self wasn't here for her to warn about the future. There was no changing this reality, not when it concerned the past. But the future, that was hers to shape.

She sat down on Serah's bed, just fingering the bedding gently as she was lost to her thoughts. All that was left of Serah now were her material possessions. That, and the memory of who she was. Serah would always rest within Lightning's heart, whether she was alive or not. She was her sister. The one who always had faith in her, and the one who always supported Lightning in subtle ways. She didn't promote a life of apathy, yet she supported Lightning as she lived that way.

"I can't believe how wise you were," she murmured into the empty air. "You must have been seventeen when you found that journal. Yet you knew exactly how to respond to it."

Of course Serah knew what to say. She always did. But she kept it to herself until the time was right. In this case, she left it in the journal for Lightning to find. Because if Lightning was really ready to make a change, she'd probably look back in the journal to see where she stood in the past. Serah showed her brilliance once again.

"Serah," she found herself whispering yet again. _I'm so sorry. And I miss you terribly. _Lightning slowly laid herself down on her sister's bed, grabbing a spare pillow and wrapping it in her arms around it. Her face was buried into that pillow as soon as it was close enough to her face, and she couldn't help but inhale the scent of it. It smelled like Serah's strawberry shampoo, even after all this time. The sheets were soft beneath her body, inviting her to comfort. She was surrounded by Serah again. Serah was all around her, comforting her and silently telling her that all was well. That it was okay just to stay here a little longer…

_Just a little longer, then, _Lightning thought as her eyes slowly fell shut. _A little longer, and then we'll move on. _

Before she even realized what was happening, she had drifted into a dreamless slumber.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Caius took the time to read both of the journals left in Lightning's journal, though he reflected a lot on Serah's writing. "What did I do?" he whispered to himself, staring up at the ceiling. Whenever he encountered Serah and Noel, he always focused his attention on the former because he viewed her as weaker. Maybe she did not possess the same physical strength as people like Noel and Lightning, but mentally she was so strong. She possessed so much wisdom for her young age…So much care for her sister.

_I tried so hard to kill her, simply because she was in my way, _he thought silently. _I nearly killed an incredible person. _The world was devoid of her anyway now, but it wasn't because of him. It was because of Aveiara—Etro. The goddess never cared for those she gave her eyes to. She gave her eyes to Yeul to drive Caius to madness, and she gave the eyes to Serah to further torture Lightning. She was so wicked…She would pay for destroying two people with beautiful souls. And she would pay dearly for trying to destroy Lightning.

Lightning. It had been quite a few minutes since she walked out of her bedroom for some privacy. Caius thought it was best to go check on her, just to be certain that she was alright. She hadn't appeared distraught when she left; in fact, she looked relieved to have some connection to Serah again. That was why he guessed that she was in Serah's room. He hadn't been to the room before, but he walked down the hall in that direction by luck. The open door to his right invited him in, and that was when he saw Lightning lying on the bed and facing away from him.

"Lightning?" he asked in surprise, walking over to the bed quickly. He leaned over her sleeping figure, seeing the face that he hadn't been able to see before. Sure enough, she was asleep. _I thought you weren't overly exhausted though, _he thought as he studied her. _But you collapsed here. Why? _

But after a few moments, he chased away his thoughts of suspicion. Lightning had been exhausted lately, so if she wanted to pass out again, that was perfectly natural.

Yet she looked peaceful. How was that possible when she was cursed by Etro to hear the screams of the dead every time that she fell asleep? There was no way that she could have broken that curse; the only way to ensure her freedom was to kill Etro herself. Only then would the curse be lifted.

"Something is amiss," he muttered with furrowed eyebrows. Caius leaned over the sleeping girl, staring down at her. "Lightning," he called, only to get no response. He set a hand on her upper arm, shaking her ever so slightly. "Lightning."

Still nothing. _An enchanted sleep? _he wondered _But why? If it is an enchanted sleep, it's caused by Etro. What could she gain out of this? _

A blaring alarm sounded throughout the house. He grunted, looking around. That must have been the alarm that Lightning set up while they were staying here, to keep them safe. Something or somebody else was present here.

Instinctively, he lifted his arm behind his back as he stood himself upright. His weapon had been left in the other room. Did he dare retrieve it? Did he dare to leave Lightning by herself for a few moments? He really had no choice. If he carried her with him and they were attacked, they were in worse trouble than ever before. Her room was less than thirty feet away…He could make it there and back very quickly. What could somebody do in ten seconds anyway? Other than…Deal a lethal blow.

Still, no choice. He glanced down at Lightning one more time before he made his way to the door, cautiously peeking his head out so that he could look into the hallway. There were no threats at the other end of the hall, but to his left towards Lightning's room—

A figure, clouded in darkness. Standing in darkness that was teeming up around her short figure. Yet he recognized the figure clearly. "Yeul."

"Caius," Yeul whispered with eyes full of sadness.

"You're an illusion," he grunted, stepping outside into the hallway completely. "It's a lie…"

"For now," she agreed sadly. "But Caius…I'm not gone yet. I'm still alive somewhere."

"It's a lie," he repeated. "Etro killed you permanently. She wiped you out of existence."

"And she can also bring me back," Yeul assured him. "We can be together again, Caius…"

"**Lies!**"

Even if Caius lost his temper with Yeul, she showed no signs of anger or frustration. Instead, she only smiled softly. "I know you don't believe that completely," she said gently. "I see it in your eyes. If there's a way to get me back, don't you at least want to look into it?"

_Is she speaking the truth? _he wondered. _It's very unlikely. If there were a way to bring Yeul back, it most likely involves doing some bidding of Etro. That is not something that I intend to do so readily. _

And yet…

_Yet there is an even smaller chance that Etro could ask me to do something that favors both of us. A near impossibility. But a possibility nonetheless. _

Hesitantly, Caius looked back at Yeul to see her outstretched hand. She was silently calling to him, telling him to come with her to see what he could do to resurrect her. If he went with her now, there was no telling what could happen. But if he didn't, he knew what would happen. Yeul would remain dead.

He had a decision to make.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Friends, I missed you! It's great to be back and able to update again. Hope you appreciated the new chapter, and you're not too angry about the cliffhanger ;3**

** -puu26: Thanks for joining the story! Glad to have you aboard. (:**

**Hana-chan98- Don't worry about it, I know how annoying exams are. Good luck with them! As for the arrow to the knee joke, I had to look it up myself. Apparently in Skyrim, you can talk to a lot of people and they always say something like: "I was once an adventurer myself, then I took an arrow to the knee." Totally random, but somehow hilarious! **

**Ballad Jr: There's actually nothing personal about the back story xD I haven't lost any family members, and I have great relationships with my parents. But hey, if it's up to the caliber where you think it's personal, that's terrific for me! xD**

**MaroonAngel of Darkness: Hm…Lightning's dad being a friend of Amador? That's an interesting idea. Perhaps one day I'll write a oneshot with that scenario (:**

**That's all for today, everyone have a good day! **

**Peanut**


	19. Chapter 19: Alone

Chapter Nineteen: Alone

Lightning felt surprisingly aware when she came to again some time after she lost consciousness. _That was a peaceful rest, _she thought in shock. Peaceful rests didn't occur anymore with her, not while Etro's curse was in effect. But the rest cleared her head so much and made her feel so refreshed that she didn't feel like questioning her stroke of good luck. "I'll worry about it later," she muttered as she stood up and looked around Serah's bedroom. Exactly as she left it, except there was no sunlight pouring in through the windows now. Only the faint glow of moonlight.

"I was out all day," she grunted with wide eyes. No way. She woke up midmorning that day in Caius's arms! She read Serah's journal and then passed it onto him for him to read while she came to this room to be surrounded in her sister's presence.

Where was Caius, anyway? There was no chance that he would have left her alone this long. He would have come looking for her. Now it seemed like it was time for her to seek him. He had to have been somewhere in the house. She walked out of Serah's bedroom and into the hallway, which was completely empty, before she returned to her own bedroom. "Caius?" she called as she stepped inside.

There was no sign of him, but there was something leaning against the wall that caught her attention. His weapon, Ragnarok, was leaning against the wall, just as it had been since the previous night. That was just another sign that he was somewhere in the house, because he wouldn't go anywhere without his weapon. Absolutely nothing could have caused him to leave that behind.

Yet as she searched the rest of the house, she realized that there was absolutely no sign of him anywhere. No food in the kitchen left sitting out, no television left on (not that she believed Caius would turn on the TV for entertainment—it was doubtful he even knew how to use a television), no nothing. Everything was exactly as Lightning had last seen it before her rest.

"I swear, if you're making me worry for nothing," she muttered as she hurried back to her bedroom. If he had just stepped outside for a breath of fresh air and she was running around the house looking for him like a panicked maniac, he would be sorry that he made her worry. She'd make him pay.

She strapped her own weapon back onto her belt before she picked up Caius's weapon, having no trouble with the weight of it since she was such a great warrior herself. She wasn't about to leave his weapon just sitting around here. Wherever he was, he should have had this on him. Even if he was just standing outside.

Outside was where she checked next. All around the house, and down at the beach (which she could see from her porch). Still no sign of him. The air was deathly silent as absolutely no people resided in Bodhum in this time right after the Purge. "Caius?" she dared to holler into the still air. No response. "**Caius!**"

Something wasn't right. Everything within her was alerting her to something being wrong. Caius was gone and his weapon was here. And he wouldn't have left her sleeping on Serah's bed. How convenient, that he disappeared while she was out cold…

It couldn't have just been coincidence. She was too cynical to believe that. There was only one thing left to check. That was the security system that she had set up. She rigged it special to go off whenever any chaotic magic was in the air. The computer should have shown if anything happened while she was asleep…And it did. When she got back inside and stared at the computer screen, she was shocked to see that there had been chaotic energy there soon after she fell asleep.

Etro. Etro must have taken Caius away somehow. Oh, if only Lightning had set up security cameras like she originally wanted to! Then she would have seen exactly what happened.

"Forget it, the details don't matter," she muttered to herself. All that mattered now was that she needed to get to Caius. He wasn't in this world anymore. Etro could have whisked him away to any time period. He could have been dead by now since she was out all day. "That's it!" she cried to herself. She was knocked out because Etro wanted to have access to Caius. And she succeeded. Lightning played right into her hands by falling asleep, not that she believed she had much choice in the matter. She had been out before she realized what happened.

Playing the blame game wasn't going to help anyone. She needed to go find Caius—or at least, some way to get to him. She feared she couldn't create the rifts anymore; her greatest desire was to be reunited with Serah. And since that wasn't possible, no rift would come from that desire.

The only thing that she could think to do was go outside and hope that the fresh air would give her inspiration. She carefully left the safety of her home while lugging Caius's weapon down to the beach with her. Hopefully the waves and the night stars would help her think of something. She felt so lost without Caius. It surprised her just who alone and aimless she felt without him by her side, even if she made a lot of the decisions when it came to where they were journeying and what they were doing.

"_Lightning."_

The ex soldier stopped walking, turning to look over her shoulder even if the voice that she heard was one that came within her own heart. "Yes, Odin?" she said in response to the eidolon that spoke to her.

"_You will not find Caius here."_

"Yeah, I know," she said bitterly. "But what else can I do? You know my heart is in too much turmoil to create the rift…" Admitting it was painful, even to somebody that already knew what she was experiencing. Odin resided in her heart when he wasn't with her physically, so he knew everything that she felt. The only reason she wasn't unnerved by that was because she knew Odin was bound to her; he wouldn't share her secrets with anyone.

Odin appeared in a cloud of darkness in front of Lightning, kneeling down slightly so that he could look at her a little more evenly. "_You must prepare for the final battle," _he said evenly, still speaking silently. "_That is what awaits you next._"

"Already?" she grunted. "I expected this to be a little more drawn out, since we've only met Etro herself once on this journey."

"_Etro will not allow you and Caius to run around any longer. Finally, she sees you two as a threat that she will need to dispose of herself."_

"What about that new enemy that appeared? That…phantom." The phantom had the same weapon as Serah, and the same shadow. It wasn't Serah, but it looked like her enough to shake Lightning up. Would she have to destroy this enemy?

"_That I do not know. I only know that Etro has taken hold of Caius and taken him to Valhalla. She means to kill him."_

"Then I need to get there, now!" Lightning said a bit more frantically. "Tell me how!"

"_You know the way. It is not something that I can assist you with."_

"You can't create rifts?"

"_I cannot. The only thing that I am capable of is helping you in battle…And causing damage to your heart, unfortunately."_

"Damaging my heart," she repeated, utterly confused. "What are you talking about?"

"_Etro's curse is causing you to hear the screams of all the lost souls that she has cursed to damnation, and those that are dear to you. I am in the former group. Part of the screaming that torments you each and every night is mine."_

"Okay, so you're cursed too. I already knew that—You told me before that you were once opposed to Etro, and that when you lost, she transformed you into an Eidolon. You can't help it if I hear your agony every night in my sleep."

"_I cannot," _he agreed. "_Still, I apologize for adding to the pain."_

"Don't sweat it."

"_There is, however, one other matter that I must discuss with you immediately."_

"I'm guessing it's related to you being cursed by Etro," Lightning supposed, believing that the topics were interlaced with each other.

"_Yes. I believe that you should know now, before we go into the final battle, that I do plan on fighting with you where I can, and so do the other Eidolons. That is, until our time is up."_

"What do you mean, until your time is up? In Valhalla, you Eidolons were able to fight with me for an unlimited amount of time because your home is Valhalla." Was Odin purposely trying to be cryptic? He really wasn't making sense here.

"_What I mean is that once Etro is defeated permanently, I will fade out of existence. And so will the other Eidolons that may join us for the fight."_

"W-What?" Lightning grunted, truly shocked. Odin would die?

"_I will be free from my torment. My soul will rest and I can finally move onto whatever the afterlife holds for me."_

Lightning was silent, studying him. His soul would be at rest. He'd be free and no longer need to serve Etro. Yet he was going to die. "Are you scared?" she asked quietly. The question asked so childish leaving her lips. She was asking a warrior if he was scared to die in a gentle tone of voice, soft and caring. Even if they both knew his death would turn out to be better than him, the thought of dying scared Lightning at least.

"_Perhaps a small amount of it does scare me,_" Odin responded just as quietly as Lightning. "_But continuing this life frightens me even more. I am ready to be free, Lightning."_

Determination swelled inside of Lightning's heart as she stared at her faithful Eidolon—Her friend. "I'll do whatever it takes to set you free, then," she promised softly. "We'll fight it out together and both be free."

"_Your promise comforts me. But now, I require another promise. Please. Remember to live once all of us finally go to our resting place. At least somebody deserves to live a fulfilling life._"

"Okay," Lightning swore. "I'll do my best to live, in remembrance of the sacrifice you and the other Eidolons have made for us."

Odin nodded, outstretching one of his hands for Lightning to shake. He seemed so oddly human now, not that he had seemed inhuman before. This was just the first time that they had a discussion about what Eidolons felt, and just how human they still were. _I will set you free, _she silently promised once more as she took his hand. _I promise you that._

Since that was all that Odin had to communicate to her, he faded away once more with her hand in his. He rejoined with her heart and left her by herself on the beach, though she wasn't alone. She was never alone anymore, not even when she was the only person around. She had family now, and they were with her wherever she went. It was only their spirits, but it was enough to make her feel like she wasn't fighting alone. Not anymore.

But standing on the beach, she became aware that she wasn't alone physically either. Somebody else was racing towards her. She gripped Caius's weapon with both hands, spinning around and facing the exact place that the person was coming from.

"Lightning!" Corin cried, running towards her. She grunted in surprise. Corin? How did he get to this time period? Still, it hardly mattered. He was holding something in his hands that belonged to her. The bullets that she and Caius had been working on the past few days. "Are you a fool?" he spat, stopping in front of her and panting because he was out of breath. "Why would you leave these sitting around?"

"Honestly, I forgot about them," she said to the breathless man. "Why does it matter to you?"

"I—I realized that you're right about Etro," Corin breathed. "She really is out to kill me because I couldn't finish off you and Caius. I don't want to serve a goddess that cruel, so I came here to warn you that she was sending an attack your way. It appears I'm too late."

"Yeah, Caius was taken away somehow," Lightning stated a bit absently, focused on something else he said. "You really see the truth now? That Etro is evil?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"It is, but I'm too cynical to believe you outright."

"You're the one who said I wasn't a bad person, just on the wrong side!"

"And being on the wrong side causes people to lie sometimes."

"If I was truly evil, would I have brought you the dragon bullets?" he asked, outstretching his hands and showing that all of them were accounted for and radiating with a faint light.

"Good point," she admitted, reaching forward with one hand and grasping them all. "Thanks."

As Lightning put the bullets into the pouch on her leg, she couldn't help but notice how Corin looked around as if he expected some attack at any moment. "I ran into that phantom again," he said lowly to Lightning, meeting her eyes after a few moments. "Her eyes were…familiar, somehow. You believe that the girl is your sister."

"No!" Lightning said quickly. _Too harsh. Compose yourself. _She took in a breath, calmer. "No, that's not my sister. Just a figure shaped to look and fight like her to mess with my head. It's not her. The eyes are different."

"Your voice sounds certain enough," Corin said as he studied her. "But is your heart?"

"I'm certain enough that I won't have problems defeating her when the time comes." Even if it was Serah…Well, it wasn't completely Serah. Maybe her soul was trapped, like that of Odin and the other Eidolons. If that was the case, defeating her and Etro would set her soul free… "Yes, I'm certain I can do it."

"Good. Because you are the only one who can defeat Etro."

"Not Caius?"

"Caius could too, I suppose," Corin responded. "But I'm guessing at the moment that he is weaponless."

At that, Lightning looked down at the hefty weapon that she held in her hand. "Yeah, I guess he is," she said quietly. With furrowed eyebrows, she looked back up at Corin and spoke her mind. "I need to get to him. Can you help me?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot help with creating the rift," he said with the shake of his head. "I attempted to get to Valhalla myself, but I could not. Apparently I really am Etro's enemy now…"

"I'm sorry she tricked you like she tricked me."

"At least-"

Corin never finished his sentence. From a great distance off, an arrow pierced the night air and soared rapidly for its target. Corin didn't even have time to turn around before he was struck. The arrow pierced his back, right into his heart.

Lightning's eyes widened as soon as she saw Corin's do the same. "Corin?" she asked, startled as she dropped Caius's weapon and put her hands on the older man's shoulders. "Corin!" Her eyes darted to his back, and she grunted when she saw the arrow was in deep enough to be a lethal hit. Beneath her hands, Corin sank down to his knees, and then, onto his side. Gasping for breath, pained in a way that if the arrow hadn't struck his heart, he would have died from the pain.

"I'll get it out," she panted, kneeling down in front of him and reaching for the arrow. "Just hold on."

His ragged breathing was the response, along with a hand coming up to grasp Lightning's. He was trying to stop her.

"Hold onto life, stupid, not me!" she snapped, shoving his hand away from her. Yet she knew what he was trying to convey.

Corin…didn't want to be saved.

Still, she wasn't about to just let him die. She yanked out the arrow quickly and seconds later, focused on at least ten Cure spells to try and heal the wound. "Corin," she breathed as the spells went off, her eyes darting to his face. Just as she completed her last spell, she finally took in his expression. His eyes were shut and his expression was hard. He was gone.

_No. You just… _He just died on her. She tried so hard to save him but she couldn't have been fast enough. It was too late to do anything else. Except get revenge.

Lightning looked out towards the end of the beach, seeing the shadowed figure standing about one hundred yards away from her. The arrow wasn't raised, so she wasn't here to kill Lightning. Like last time, she only came to finish off Corin. "Curse you," she breathed lowly, though she wasn't sure who she was speaking to—the figure or Etro. Her next sentence was directed at the latter. "He was faithful to you! In your mortal life, he was your adoring husband! You truly have no heart left within you."

She stood up, grabbing Caius's weapon as she started towards the shadow. "What are you still doing here?" she hissed in fury, stalking towards the phantom. "You finished with what Etro wanted you to do, or are you going to kill me too? I dare you to try. In case you didn't notice, I don't die easy."

As Lightning expected, the figure didn't speak to her. Instead, they faded away from this time period altogether. She was truly alone now. Alone with the body of Corin.

She walked back to his body, kneeling down by him and gazing at him with furrowed eyebrows. He hadn't deserved death. He wasn't a bad person; he had just been fighting on the wrong side this whole time. Until now. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you until your final moments," she said quietly to him. "I hope that you're at peace now."

It only took her a minute to decide on what she needed to do next. As frantic as she was to reach Caius in Valhalla, she knew that time didn't flow regularly there. Meaning that by the time she got there, he could either have just gotten there or…be long gone. Dead. She just had to pray that it wouldn't be the latter. There was something that she needed to do here before she went to save Caius.

Lightning went back to her home, and when she returned, she had a shovel. It took her a long time to dig a hole that was deep enough, but eventually, the deed was done. She lowered Corin into his grave as gently as she could, believing that she saw just a glimmer of peace on his expression.

Surprisingly, filling the hole back up with sand was one of the hardest things that she ever did. Again she was struck by how he didn't deserve death. He helped her in the end, became her ally. He knew that he would probably be targeted for coming to her here, yet he came to assist her anyway. For that, he would always have her thanks.

When the hole was filled again, Lightning forced herself to go back to her home. It was safe there this time; she was certain. If Etro wanted to take her to Valhalla, she would have done it through the phantom at the beach. "What do you want from me?" she hissed into the air angrily, pacing her living room. The sun was rising now, but hope wasn't rising with it. She was so lost. So, **so **lost. How was she supposed to save him if she couldn't create the rift?

But that was just it. She couldn't save him. She needed to get over her emotions over Serah so that she could get to him, but she couldn't let go of her sister now.

_This must have been Etro's plan all along, _Lightning thought as she sat down on the couch. _To take Caius away while I'm stuck here. The question is, why aren't I dead? What use does she have for me still? What did she want with Caius? Did she want to convert him to her cause like she tried to do before? That phantom…Is it really Serah? _

There were no answers to Lightning's questions. None at all. She swore in frustration, laying down on the couch and glaring at the ceiling. As soon as she was lying on her back, though, her eyelids felt heavy. "This…again?" she muttered, feeling exhaustion sweeping in and covering her raging emotions of worry, fear and anger.

The same as earlier, Lightning felt herself lose consciousness immediately. But she did not go to a dream world where she was tormented by screams. At least, not right away.

Instead, she stood in the middle of the darkness as a voice that was not her own spoke into it. "_Lightning. Your heart is in conflict." _

The light, soft voice that spoke to Lightning was as tranquil as ever. It was for that reason that Lightning didn't respond with a sarcastic response. It was pretty obvious her heart was in turmoil, because if it wasn't, she would have gone to get Caius already. "I recognize your voice," she said, looking around to try and see if the person was standing with her or just speaking to her out of nowhere. Behind where she had originally been facing, Lightning saw the young girl standing and gazing at her. "Yeul."

Yeul smiled faintly, holding a flower in her hands as she gazed at Lightning. "Are you glad that you are not experiencing torment tonight?"

"Yeah, but why?" she asked cautiously.

"It is so that I may speak to you."

"Then why didn't you speak to me earlier when I slept dreamlessly?"

"Because I was speaking to Caius," Yeul said gently. Lightning grunted her response. Yeul spoke to Caius? Was she in his dreams, or did she meet with him in reality? As if reading her mind, Yeul continued explaining. "I came as a messenger for Etro, to offer him a deal."

"Why would you serve Etro?" Lightning asked, furrowing her eyebrows in suspicion. "It's her curse that killed you and made you be reborn over and over again to suffer."

Yeul's eyes did soften at that remark. "Yes, my lives were filled with great sorrow," she said quietly. "But I do not view it as a curse. It was a blessing to have the power to see futures, even futures of sorrow. It was a blessing to meet so many wonderful people through that ability."

_I find a hard time believing that, _Lightning though with narrowed eyes. Still, Yeul continued speaking to her. "Concerning Caius, Etro wanted me to deliver a message to him. If he came with me to Valhalla, then Etro would restore me without her eyes so that I could live a normal life by Caius's side."

"And what did she want in return?" Lightning inquired lowly.

"Only that Caius leave you behind." Again, Lightning grunted in surprise, and Yeul continued her explanation. "Yes, Etro knew that your heart was roped with longing for your sister. She knew that you would be trapped in this era and forced to live here until the end of your days. She wanted you to remain trapped here for all eternity."

Again, Lightning was doubtful. As if Caius would leave her behind. Especially with his weapon. "Why did Caius leave without his weapon then?"

"Because," Yeul responded. "If Caius came to Valhalla with his weapon, he would surely attack the goddess. She wanted to speak plainly with him, so a part of the bargain was that he left his weapon here."

"And I'm supposed to believe that crap?" Lightning spat. Caius knew how treacherous Etro was! He wouldn't return to her without some kind of defense…And he wouldn't leave her behind. He wouldn't!

"The evidence is all around you, Lightning," the young girl stated gently. "He has left you. I suggest you do not try to go after him, because if you do, he will not hesitate to strike you down?"

"Yeah? With what weapon?" she hissed disbelievingly.

"He does not need a weapon to crush you. If you go to Valhalla and see for yourself that he has traded your life for mine, your heart will be destroyed. That is the destruction I am referring to.

"Do not seek him, Lightning," Yeul said as she faded away into the darkness. "_He does not love you in return."_

Just like that, the conversation was over and Lightning was left alone in the darkness once more, with thoughts that were just as dark as her surroundings.

She was alone.

*…*…*…*…*…*

'**Ello people! So happy to update once again. As you can tell, the story is coming closer to the finale. Hard to believe that it's almost over! Sad, too. :/ But all good things must come to an end, I suppose. **

**Hannah-Abby- Gah, typos. I knew what I meant! xD I shall fix that. **

**Artemiangel- Those are realistic questions. Ones that I will not answer. x3**

**That's all I have to say for this week; sorry if I missed you—I'm multitasking at the moment. xD But, as always, drop a review off for me, and I'll see you guys again in about a week! **

**Peanut **


	20. Chapter 20: Bravery

Chapter Twenty: Bravery

Lightning awoke on the couch, feeling alert but hazy at the same time. The contents of her dream certainly didn't help. Yeul spoke to her. She said that Caius betrayed Lightning, and left her there to die. All so that Yeul could live again. If Yeul was speaking to her, didn't that mean that Caius already accepted whatever Etro's deal was? Did he really exchange Lightning's life for Yeul's, or was this all an illusion?

It was actually difficult for Lightning to come to a conclusion. Her heart had been looking for a reason to distrust Caius. She was afraid all along that if she trusted him completely, he would betray her trust and leave her heartbroken. She tried to keep her heart away from him, but it was so hard when he was so sincere. Even now she had no doubts that his touches and gestures of affection and care were not meant to lead her astray. She just thought that maybe she would never take priority over Yeul.

Not that she believed Caius loved Yeul romantically. It seemed clear to her that Caius did love Yeul, but he loved her for being the light and hope of all the eras. He treasured that light and hope even if he had none for himself. All he had was darkness and sorrow. But that was before they began travelling together. Now he appeared so different. He had hope for the future, or else he wouldn't have fought with her. Right? Or perhaps it was still just fighting for the sake of revenge.

Lightning's heart sank at that as she stared up at the ceiling. No. Absolutely not. She and Caius had a bond now. He was fighting for the same reason that she was: to save the future. This journey wasn't a suicide mission for him; he cared about the outcome. He must have been looking forward to something happening after the final battle against Etro. A future of hope was rising on the horizon, and he saw it. They both did.

"Caius," she muttered into the air. Caius Ballad. Her former enemy turned ally turned friend turned—more. There, she finally admitted it. Caius Ballad had a hold of her heart, and he had actually grasped it for a long time. Yet not once did he squeeze her heart or make her heart. He treated her well. As warmth filled her heart, she became aware that she too held Caius's heart. She allowed him to get close to her. He seemed to adore her for some reason. She knew that she was strong, determined, dedicated…But those were some of the only good qualities she saw within herself. Somehow Caius saw her as something more than just a screw up.

_I need him, _Lightning realized. At the blunt realization, her eyes actually grew a bit moist. _I need him to help me see myself as more than the sum of my past sins. But most of all, I just need __**him. **_

She sat upright on the couch, making a decision. Even if Caius did betray her, she wouldn't betray him. Even if she went to save him and found that Etro converted him to her side, she wouldn't regret it. For once in her life, she was going to be brave with her heart and not just in battle.

As she rose to her feet, she grasped Caius's weapon in one hand. The hilt was firm in her grasp. Just touching the weapon made her feel an unexplainable sense of reassurance. Caius wouldn't betray her. Even if it was for Yeul. She just knew it.

"Caius," she muttered into the air. "I need Caius."

That was her greatest desire. It was for that reason that a rift appeared before her. A small smile worked its way onto her expression, though she was also a bit guilty. If her greatest desire was Caius, that meant it wasn't for Serah anymore. "Forgive me," she said in case Serah could hear her somehow. "But…It's time I finally lived for myself."

With that, she rushed into the rift and hurried onto her next destination.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Valhalla. A land of no death. A land that had no potential for life.

Caius knew he was a fool for being tempted to come to this land. But Yeul, outstretching her hand…He hadn't been able to resist. He missed her too dearly to pass up even the smallest opportunity to see if he could resurrect her. Yet he had a feeling now that the desire was going to cost him his life.

He sat on the floor of Etro's temple, arms behind his back as he was chained to one of the poles. Etro did not pin him there as soon as he arrived; on the contrary, she had taken quite a bit of time to speak to him. She assured him that the Yeul that she sent to him was only a figment that she created, as was the phantom of Serah that had been hunting them down recently. No part of Yeul still existed in this realm except for the memory of her.

That alone made Caius's blood boil. Yet what Etro said next had chilled him to the core. She said that Caius betrayed Lightning. He left her in that time period in Bodhum while she was incapable of creating a rift in order to escape it. That was one of the only truths that Etro conveyed to him; even he realized it now that he was in Valhalla. He abandoned her. If that was the last time that he saw her...Well, he sincerely hoped it wasn't. He knew that Lightning was a fighter. She would find her way to Valhalla, but the question was, would it be before or after Etro disposed of him?

"You should have joined me, Caius," Etro whispered to him. In her bright white gown, the blonde haired goddess knelt before Caius and put a hand on his cheek gently. He was forced to look at her, and his eyes were hard as nails as he stared her down.

"I've seen what you do to those that follow you," he responded lowly, gritting his teeth. "Whether I was with or against you, I know my fate would have ended in demise."

She chuckled. "Yes, you're probably correct," she agreed as she rose to her feet. "All humans will die in the end, at least in one sense of the word. Their home will be Valhalla soon, and there is no life here. But you will have another ending. You don't even deserve to live on to suffer longer. You shall perish from existence."

"Better that than be in your presence much longer."

"Was that humor, Caius Ballad? I never believed I'd hear something that could possibly be humorous leave your lips. Has your time with the soldier really made you more lighthearted?"

"She's not a soldier," he growled. "She's a human being!"

"One who you seemed to have grown fond of," Etro said with a small laugh. "Do you truly suspect that she loves you in return? How could she after all the suffering that you caused?"

Though the words got to him, Caius did have a remark prepared. "She believes in second chances," he managed. She truly did believe in giving people a new chance at life because she chose to see him as more than his past mistakes. He would never forget the grace that she showed towards him, even if this truly was the end of his life.

"I will not be foolish enough to give you and that girl a second chance to hunt me," Etro said through her teeth, angry. She summoned a staff into her hand, though the tip of the staff was sharp and pointed so that she could easily stab somebody in the heart with it. Today, that somebody was going to be Caius. "This is your end."

Caius saw Etro get into the position to thrust that staff into his heart, and of course, he tugged at the cuffs that connected him to the pole. A feeble effort. Meaningless. He couldn't break free. He grunted, lifting his gaze to Etro's victorious expression one time before he squeezed his eyes shut and braced for impact.

A bullet came of nowhere before Etro could strike. It struck her instead, right in the chest. The goddess cried out in pain, and in his shock, Caius opened his eyes to see her stumble a few steps away from him. His next instinct was to look in the direction that the bullet had come from. He gazed over at the stares, squinting faintly because of the bright light that surrounded the figure. _An angel? _But the voice that came out of the figure's lips was one that he clearly recognized.

"Get away from him," came Lightning's snarl.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Lightning stood at the top of the stairs as the rift disappeared from behind her. She held her gunblade in one hand, while Caius's weapon was in her other one. A vicious fire shone in her eyes as she stared at Etro. Her aim with her gunblade had been dead on, and she had to admit that she arrived just in time. Otherwise, she would have lost Caius. Her thoughts of fury against the goddess faded slightly to concern as the warrior shifted her gaze to Caius.

"Lightning," he said. His voice was hoarse, but it wasn't just showing relief. He felt guilty for leaving her behind.

She ran down to him immediately, transforming her gunblade so that it was a sword as she stared at the chains. How was she supposed to break through this?

"You shouldn't have come-"

"Shut up, Caius. You know I couldn't leave you to die."

"I left you alone…"

"And I followed you here anyway. I was going to whether you wanted me to or not."

"Why?"

Lightning looked away from the chains, her eyes finding Caius's. "Because," she said lowly, voice more gentle than it had been before. "I care."

"Well, isn't this romantic," Etro's snide voice interrupted. Both Lightning and Caius's heads turned sharply to the throne, where Etro was sitting with a fist over her heart. "I'm sorry, peasants, but if you believed I would die from one magical bullet, you were sadly mistaken."

"You used one of the dragon bullets?" Caius grunted in surprise.

Lightning ignored Caius since the answer was obvious. "I knew you would be harder to kill than that," she agreed lowly. "But that doesn't change the fact that at the end of this, you're dead."

"You truly believe that you have the strength to kill a goddess?" Etro laughed meekly, more affected by the bullet than she wanted to show. "I dare you to try and kill me. You'll have to move quickly to get to me before I get to you!"

Instead of attacking them directly, though, Etro had another attack. Darkness began to cover the ground in the area—it became a pit that was going to suck them up. _Caius, _she instantly thought, grunting when she saw that he was still chained. There was only one option here while time was running so quickly. She transformed her gunblade yet again and pointed it at the chains.

"What are you doing? _Lightning!" _Caius scolded as Lightning shot off a magic bullet and broke the chains easily.

"You're welcome," she replied simply, reaching for one of his wrists. There was no time to rub his aching forearms; they had a much larger problem. The darkness continued to grow in strength and presence. It would swallow them whole if they didn't move quickly, but where was there an escape? This world was Etro's domain.

"_The beach, Lightning," _said the guiding voice of Odin from within her heart. _"Flee to the beach."_

While Caius took a hold of his weapon in his other hand, Lighting yanked at his wrist and pulled him to his feet. "Run," she ordered.

For once, Caius wasn't questioning her. He trusted her completely as she kept a hold of his wrist and forced him right along with her. They ran up the stairs as dark tendrils licked at their heels. The coolness of it nearly made Lightning get chills, so she wondered how Caius was feeling since he was a step or two behind her.

No time for concern, though her heart threatened to overflow with it as they reached the outside balcony. Her eyes darted over the city to the ocean, which wasn't exactly close. "Odin!" she cried without thought.

Odin faithfully appeared next to her, grasping her forearm and looking her in the eye. No words were spoken, yet she understood exactly what he wanted. "Time to fly," she said as she released Caius's wrist. "Step back."

"We're splitting up?"

"_No," _Odin said as he grasped Caius's arm with his other hand. "_No separating. Not now." _

Using a strength that only a godlike Eidolon could possess, Odin acted quickly. He pulled back both of his arms, and without even gathering momentum by swinging Lightning and Caius back again or around him, he launched them forward.

The air of Valhalla was, as always, frigid. Lightning gritted her teeth as that cold air impacted her right in the face. Her eyes, however, stayed open to their normal size despite the rushing air. She was trained for this; speed and wind wouldn't impair her vision. Unfortunately, her emotions could still impact her though. She felt worried for Odin immediately. He would be alright, wouldn't he? He didn't just sacrifice himself to get Lightning and Caius out of there, did he-?

"Lightning?" Caius asked.

"Yes?"

"Are we able to fly now?"

"Nope," Lightning said with a straight face. "This is falling. With style."

"You know," Caius started as they continued soaring through the air. "I could have just become Bahamut."

"You won't need to now. We're landing on the beach."

As they neared the sandy shores of Valhalla, Caius managed one humorous comment despite the circumstances. "Hope it's a soft landing."

Thankfully for them, it was. Lightning hit the sand first, doing a summersault forward and then stopping on her knees on the sand. Next to her, Caius landed on one knee and remained on it for a few moments before he offered her a hand and they rose to their feet together.

He didn't let go of her hand right away. Nor did he remove eye contact until he noticed the chaos gathering to his left. He and Lightning both grasped their weapons tightly, though Lightning was the only one who had her gun pointed at the goddess who was rising out of the darkness.

"Fools," Etro said lowly, walking a few steps out. Her green eyes were vicious, holding so much hatred that it showed just how inhuman she was. "You should have given into the hopelessness a long time ago."

"You underestimate the human heart," Lightning declared. "You thought the heart experienced sorrow more than anything else, but you thought wrong. Hope overcomes sorrow any day, just as long as somebody is there to help you keep perspective."

Caius, pitying her, asked a question. "You were once human, Averia," he said as he used that earthly name. "Do you not remember anything about the strength and bravery of the human heart."

"It does not matter what I remember or not," the goddess spat, suddenly sending orbs of light their way and starting the battle. As both Lightning and Caius dodge-rolled to opposite sides, Etro's voice rose above the noise. "All that I have seen are cowards! Weak, pathetic cowards!"

"What about Yeul!" Caius growled as he sprinted towards Etro and swung his hefty blade at her. "She was anything but cowardly!"

As his blade hit her, Lightning was there to follow it up with a swing of her own. "And what about Serah?" she practically hollered, slicing Etro's arm with the sword. "She was afraid, but she faced the future anyway. And she did it with hope!'"

"Weak!" Etro screeched, blocking Caius's sword with her staff and sending a fireball at Lightning. "All of them, weak! Humans are not strong. They die easily. Why do such weak being deserve the ability to love? They do not!"

"So you envy us! That is why you are doing all this!"

"I am doing this-" Etro shoved Caius backwards with great strength, knocking him back into Lightning. The two of them toppled over each other in the sand, with Caius landing on top of Lightning. "—Because I am the goddess of these people! Humans have spirit because of me! I have the right to do with them whatever I please."

Being the creator did give Etro certain privileges, but she overstepped her own authority. "Humans are not your puppets," Lightning spat, though she couldn't move beneath Caius. She wondered why he didn't jump off of her and allow her to get up, but then she saw it. Etro was about to send a huge attack their way.

Thousands of pieces of light filled the sky surrounding them, creating a dome that enclosed them in. Upon closer inspection, Lightning noticed that they were arrows. And all of them were about to close in on her and Caius. The reason he didn't move—He was going to shield her body with his own. "Caius!" she said hoarsely in protest. She felt his hand go over her head protectively just as the arrows rained down on them.

The arrows never pierced either of them. A new type of force surrounded them and created a shield. Lightning felt the heat of Caius's body atop of hers, but the heat quickly turned frigid as ice walls surrounded them. Caius's grunt—not a grunt of pain—but a grunt of surprise, told Lightning that something truly had happened to save them and that she hadn't just imagined the air turning winter-like within five seconds.

Lifting her head, she saw the ice wall melting. The two creators of it stood before her. _The Shiva Sisters. _Then to their right was the figure who was melting the wall. _Brynhildr. _

Finally, Caius got off of Lightning and helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?" he asked though none of the arrows hit either of them.

"Yeah," she responded with a nod, glancing around as she spoke. The Shiva sisters had been responsible for the shield, and now Brynhildr was melting down the remains of it and throwing the ice shards at Etro.

"You—You traitors!" the goddess shrieked, dodging some of the ice as she tried to compose herself. "How _dare _you attack me?"

The eidolons offered no response, only angry stares. As the Shiva sisters rushed into unleash their own attacks on the evil goddess, others appeared to Lightning's right and left. She looked from side to side and saw the two biggest eidolons that she ever knew—Alexander and Hecatoncheir. The two of them unleashed attacks from a distance, while another eidolon in the sky charged up their own attack. Bahamut had arrived as well.

Odin was the only one missing. Lightning glanced around her quickly, but he wasn't just out of her sight. "Where's Odin?" she demanded of Alexander, voice pitched slightly higher than usual in fear. He didn't…die, did he?

"_I'm here, Lightning," _Odin said from behind her. The girl spun around, shoulders slumping in relief. Thank goodness he didn't die for them when he launched them away from Etro's throne. …_Not that it matters too much, _she thought. _He's going to lose his life at the end of this. All of them are. _Lightning ignored those depressing thoughts, giving a faint nod to Odin that said it all. This would be their last fight side by side. They would make it a good one.

As all the allies close to Etro backed off, Bahamut unleashed Megaflair on the defenseless goddess. The ground shook with such force when the attack struck that Lightning subconsciously lifted her arms and braced herself for the wave of air that crashed towards her and Caius. Her feet were planted firmly enough that she didn't collapse, and neither did Caius.

Lightning lowered her arms, and there she saw Etro standing where she had been before. Still on her feet. She was barely even damaged! Lightning's heart sank instantly.

Etro laughed maniacally, lifting a hand. "Fools!" she cried. "As if you could really defeat me!"

All of a sudden, Lightning heard groaning. The eidolons didn't make verbal noises, but she could hear their pain anyway. She grunted, looking around to see all of the warriors sink down to their knees as chaos surrounded them. Bound them. Trapped them where they were but didn't make them disappear like Lightning had expected.

"_We've done enough damage," _Odin said telepathically to Lightning, though his voice was pained even then. "_She cannot banish us, but we cannot break free. You must defeat her!" _

"With pleasure," Lightning snarled, charging towards Etro. As she neared the goddess, Lightning ducked to avoid the swinging sword and then smirked. Etro was right where Lightning wanted her to be. That was when she unleashed her trademark move: Army of One. She kicked and swung at the goddess with trademark precision, though she didn't shoot off any bullets. She wanted to be certain that she would hit the goddess close to her heart when she fired those off.

As soon as she performed her final swing, she did a backflip. Somebody suddenly sped past her and picked up where she left off. Caius Ballad swung his hefty sword at the goddess, meeting only one block before he worked his way past her defensive staff and smacked her harshly with his own unnamed combo. Lightning herself had faced that combo before, where Caius just continued swinging and swinging and swinging. It was a painful one to be sure.

"Lighting!" he called to her. He swung around Etro before she was about to sink to her knees, wrapping an arm over her stomach as he stood behind her and held her in place. "Shoot!"

"I'll hit you too!" she cried, shaking her head.

An electric current surrounded Etro then, and Caius was forced to release her. He stumbled back a few steps as Etro fell to her knees. "Pitiful humans," she spat. Her mouth was full of blood.

Lightning lifted her gunblade and shot off a bullet now that Caius was out of the way. It pierced the right side of Etro's torso, opposite the other bullet wound that she received earlier.

Etro gasped, nearly falling backwards at the bullet. "I will not…be…defeated…"

"You don't have a say in the matter." Lightning still had her gunblade raised, so she had no problem lifting it a little bit higher and to the left. Directly at Etro's head.

_Time to bring this all to an end. _

Just like that, Lightning pulled back on the trigger and shot off the bullet at Etro's forehead.

Etro's eyes were still wide from the last attack, but the difference showed in them the moment that Lightning's last bullet hit her. Her eyes, still showing pain, anger, and rage, slowly began to fade. Not literally, but the expression within them began to fade as Etro's consciousness did the same. Triumph overtook Lightning's senses as she watched the goddess fall backwards, and then begin to fade away.

Etro was finally dead.

"It's over, Lightning," Caius said, walking over to Lightning and setting a hand on her shoulder. "We have avenged them."

Serah. Yeul. Corin. "Yeah," she said quietly. She lifted a hand and placed it atop Caius's. "And we saved the world."

"That too," he grunted. Lightning studied him for a moment, smiling faintly in amusement. He was trying to be nonchalant, but he was glad that they saved the future too. She could see it in his eyes. She shook her head faintly in amusement, though she still wore that small smile.

Her smile quickly faded though when her eyes landed on the goddess who faded away completely then. There were others who were going to fade away with her. She spun around and Caius's hand fell off her shoulder.

As she suspected, all of the eidolons were fading away in the darkness now. None of them said a single word to her, unable to. It was alright. Her eyes locked on Odin, and his locked onto her. She nodded faintly to him in thanks as well as goodbye. She wouldn't have been able to do this without him. He gave her hope, strength, and confidence. She would miss him. Heck, she already was missing him even if he was sort of still with her.

But after a few moments, that changed. He faded away along with the rest of the eidolons and left her and Caius alone on the beach.

Alone except for the darkness creeping up on the horizon.

"What is that?" she grunted.

"…I believe…Valhalla is beginning to disappear."

"What?" How was that possible? And why was it happening?

"The goddess of death is dead herself," Caius said. "So now her home is being destroyed."

That was the only explanation Lightning needed—and the only one that Caius had time to give anyway. The air was getting colder now that the darkness was coming in, and she had a feeling that if they stayed, they'd be frozen in the darkness forever. "We need to go," she said, eyes widening as she looked around. Were there any gates they could use? Any rifts already open?

"Look up."

When Lightning did, she saw Etro's gate still in the sky. It was the one that Noel had originally fallen through when he first arrived in Valhalla so long ago. "You think that will take us where we need to go?" she asked.

"It will at least take us away from here. That's all that matters."

"We'll have to fly."

Caius was already one step ahead of her. He transformed into Chaos Bahamut and knelt down on the ground so that Lightning could get atop of him. This routine was something she was beginning to get used to now; she had been on his back quite a few times now. This time would be different though; she could tell that as soon as they lifted off the ground.

Almost immediately, Caius started flying directly into the sky. He was going so straight that Lightning had to actually wrap her arms over his shoulder tightly in order to not fall off to her death. It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. Terrifying because it was so fast and she was in so much danger of falling off of him, but exhilarating for the same reason. It helped that she and Caius just defeated the most evil being in the universe; that made her feel more excited than terrified. She actually laughed faintly, though the sounds were absorbed by the rushing wind around them.

They were free. Finally, they both were free. It was easy to forget about the darkness taking over the ground when they were safe in the air. Etro truly had no chains on them anymore. Their lives were going to be their own at last.

They were right in front of Etro's Gate. The freedom that Lightning believed they already possessed was simply an illusion. They weren't free.

Something shot at them from the ground. Lightning turned her head sharply and looked down, just in time to see the dark blue and purple ball of energy fly at her and Caius. "What—Ah!" she cried when it struck both her and Caius. Electricity flowed through both of them, sufficiently shocking them and keeping up the electrocution for a few seconds.

She released Caius in the pain and plummeted for the sandy shores of Valhalla again, her wings clipped. Death's goddess was still chasing them after all.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Oooo, cliffhanger. I know—everyone hates those. xD But they're just so fun to write! **

**Where are all my peeps? Seems like less and less people are reviewing. Are you guys on vacation or just lazy? xD I don't even have any people to respond directly to this week! Yes, I saw some of you asked questions, but…meh. Some things are better answered by the story. Of course I appreciate how you are questioning the story and not just taking things mindlessly. Again, you guys are a great fanbase. Thanks for all the love and support. :) **

**Peanut**


	21. Chapter 21: Death and Life

Chapter Twenty-One: Death and Life

Lightning knew a lot about the world. She knew how easily hope was lost, and how hard it was to gain hope back after being deceived. Harder still, was having hope and then having it snatched away right before you.

She thought they were free. She realized just how wrong she was as she and Caius helplessly tumbled from the sky.

Lightning hit the sand with a sickening thud. She was just lucky that she landed in the sand, because landing on the hard grounds of the city probably would have killed her outright. Already, she was fighting to stay conscious. She grunted as she laid facedown in the sand, sucking in a pained breath. Now was no time to pass out. She had to find out what happened.

Slowly, she pushed herself up off her stomach and looked out in front of her. It was then that her eyes widened in terror. There was Caius, in human form, lying on his back. Surrounded in some kind of black and blue current that made him look paralyzed. "Caius!" she hollered hoarsely. She scrambled to her feet, feel two steps away, and then managed to pick herself up and close the remaining distance between them. She knelt down beside him and stared at him with huge blue eyes, hands hovering over him automatically. "What—?"

Caius looked like he was in agony. Similar to how Lightning's gravity con device made an aura over her, Caius had an electric black current running over him. Only this didn't allow movement like the gravity con device did. He looked like he could hardly move, either because he was in so much pain from whatever that aura was or because it actually paralyzed him.

"Etro," he said through his teeth, staring up at Lightning with eyes that actually showed fear along with the rage. "She's not dead."

"What?"

"Destroy…the throne…" Caius grunted. "Destroy it…she will perish permanently."

"And what about you?" Lighting asked. She shifted her gaze further down the beach, still seeing the darkness. It was coming in more slowly now, but it was still going to swallow this world eventually unless Etro regained her power quickly and stopped it. If she did that, Lightning probably couldn't kill her. It was hard enough the first time around. And she only had one magic bullet left…

"Leave me."

"**What?**" she said sharply. _No way! I can't…just…_

"It's the only way-"

"I can't leave you!" she cried quite suddenly. With eyes full of panic and desperation that were so unusual for her to feel, let alone show, she stared down at Caius. She couldn't leave him. She needed him. Desperately. She feared that if she left him now, she would never be by his side again. She would go back to being cold and alone forever.

"You must," Caius whispered hoarsely. Even with the pain he was in, he managed to lift his arm to the back of Lightning's head as she knelt down next to him and leaned over him. His fingers wove into her pink strands lightly, his touch gentle even if he was nearly trembling in agony. He held that position for a few moments, then made his move.

He pushed on the back of Lightning's head and brought her lips down upon his own.

Lightning's eyes instantly widened at the sudden kiss. Yet Caius's were shut tightly, while he was savoring the kiss and ignoring his own pain. Lightning followed suit shortly enough. She shut her eyes and allowed her lips to slowly move along with Caius's. In order to keep herself up, she put a hand lightly atop his chest. Her emotions began to swell up within her heart, and within her eyes. _Caius…_

Just as quickly as Caius pulled Lightning down, he released the back of her head and allowed her to pull back. She did pull back about half a foot, releasing a breath in surprise as she stared down at him. Her eyes were moist.

"Go," he whispered.

She gritted her teeth in both fury and sadness. She had no other choice. She needed to kill Etro to save Caius, not sit by his side and wait for death to come. "Don't you go anywhere," she said sternly, slowly rising to her feet. "You hear me, Ballad? If you're not here when I come back, I'll track you down and kill you for making me worry so much twice in one day."

"Hmph," he hummed, mustering a small smirk. "I'm glad…you care so much…"

"Guess I had to admit to it sooner or later," Lightning whispered with a faint smile of her own. But then it vanished as she thought upon the business at hand again. "…See you soon."

She glanced only once more at Caius before she turned and sprinted towards the city. How she would manage to make it to Etro's temple quickly, she didn't know. All of the eidolons already faded away because Etro was barely alive herself. The only reason that she still existed was because her throne was still standing. As soon as that was destroyed, so was she. But until that point, she would regain power. Etro needed to be killed before she regained too much of that power.

Lightning sprinted. With each passing step, the ache in her heart grew. She was already wounded from all the fighting and the great fall that she took, but her heart hurt so much worse. She left Caius behind. Caius opened a part of her that nobody else never knew. He made her feel like she could actually live for herself and not always be paying back people for whatever sins she felt guilty for.

If he died today, so would she. At least in spirit.

A glowing path suddenly appeared in front of Lightning. A set of stairs straight to Etro's distant throne. This must have been the eidolons' last possible way of helping her.

She ran up the stairs. Higher and higher she went without ever pausing to catch a breath. Her chest was constricted, her breathing erratic. Her skin drenched with sweat that was being chilled by the air of Valhalla. Yet the warmth of her own determination kept her going. That and the encouragement she felt coming from every single one of her friends. Hope. Snow. Sazh. Noel. Caius. Even Serah. All of them were lending her strength to complete the long set of stairs.

Eventually, she did reach the top. She didn't dare turn around to see how much of Valhalla was overtaken by darkness. Instead, she ran directly into the temple and pulled out her gunblade as she ran. One bullet left. Hopefully it would be enough to destroy Etro's throne.

Lightning stumbled down the steps inside of the temple, stopping as close to the throne as she possibly could. She wouldn't miss her shot. She'd finish this. Her gunblade was leveled directly with the crystal beneath the throne.

Darkness began to gather in front of the throne. A figure appeared out of it, floating between her and Etro's crystal throne. "Lightning," the phantom said.

This was the phantom that had been hunting Corin, and her and Caius. She was still all black except for her eyes. "Lightning, don't shoot, please," the figure said in Serah's voice. "You can still save me…Don't do this…"

Lightning gritted her teeth. "You're not Serah," she said quite simply. She pulled on the trigger and shot the final bullet directly at the girl standing before her.

The bullet went right through the phantom and destroyed her instantly. It smacked into the crystal pillar of the throne right on target, creating a few cracks in it. Lightning held her breath. Was it enough?

Then suddenly, the cracks expanded drastically. Beams of light shone out of each of the cracks and nearly blinded her on the spot. She lifted her arm to shield herself from the unbearable light. The cracking noise grew louder and louder until all of a sudden, the throne completely shattered.

The light swallowed her whole.

*…*…*…*…*…*

After the explosion of light, Lightning was certain that she was dead. But if this was death, it really wasn't so bad. She was just floating in a dark place, weightless. No burdens or worries weighed her down in any way. The death itself wasn't painful either. It had been over before she even knew what happened. This place was painless. Unlike reality. Maybe she'd linger here for a while.

"_You could stay, if you really wanted to," _a gentle voice said into the darkness. All that Lightning did to respond to the voice was open her eyes. There was still nothing around her to see, but that voice was so warm, so comforting. It was at that moment that Lightning realized she hadn't really been happy in this place; she just hadn't been sad. Not being sad didn't always mean you were happy instead. Happiness was only now making itself known because of the voice that she recognized.

"Serah? Where are you?"

"_I'm with you,"_ Serah said simply, with a small smile in her voice. "_I always have been." _

"No, I mean where are you right now? In this place?" _I want to see you. _

"_You'll see me later, I promise."_

Just the notion of seeing Serah seemed crazy. She hadn't seen Serah since New Bodhum, when she told her all about Caius's plans. Sure, she had seen that phantom of Serah around, but that wasn't really Serah. Serah was dead. So if Lightning was talking to her now, that meant that she was dead too. Or was this even the real Serah.

A soft laughter filled the area. "_It's really me, I promise," _Serah said. "_And you're not dead. Not really." _

"Not really?" Lightning asked, positioning herself so that she was standing upright. "Is it like how Etro sort of killed me in the beginning of this whole mess?"

"_Actually, no. Right now, you're in a place between life and death," _she explained. "_As am I. That blast in Valhalla sent you here. We'll worry about that later. For right now…I just want to say how proud of you I am. You saved us all, Lightning. Me, Yeul, Mom and Dad…Even those other people that were hunting you." _Hearing Lightning's surprised grunt, Serah added: "_Yeah, I saw them too. I've been looking out for you where I could. But you're the one who did the real work."_

"Serah…" Lightning said, feeling very confused. First off, how could Serah watch out for her when she was dead? It wasn't as if Lightning believed in guardian angels who watched over people from the graves. Or from heaven, wherever that was. If that even existed. She shook her head faintly, chasing away those questions for now. "What do you mean, I saved you all? You, Mom, and Dad?"

"_Well…Do you remember how Valhalla is supposed to be where people go after they die?"_

"Yeah…"

"_Well, people weren't going to Valhalla at all. Etro trapped our souls in a different dark place further away from any reality. Anyone who died in the past…Even Mom and Dad and Rose…They were all trapped in a place where there was no chance of happiness at all. Only sorrow. But we knew that someday, when Etro was defeated, we'd be set free. Now we can go to where we truly belong."_

"Where is that, Serah?" Lightning asked, desperate for an answer. Where did people go after death?

"_I don't know," _Serah responded, though there was a smile in her voice again. "_But I know it's a happy place, where all of us who died will be reunited with people that we love again. It's alright to not know for sure what it's like; it's like a new adventure."_

Adventure. That was a word that triggered a memory for Lighting. "I'm so sorry I convinced you to go on your adventure," she blurted. "I shouldn't have put you in danger."

"_I made the decision to go, because I missed you. I knew the risks. But just sitting around and waiting another day would have been worse than dying itself. It was time I finally was brave and looked out for you. Guess I could never grow out of my need to be rescued though, huh?" _

"You did fine," Lightning assured her. "Better than fine. You really made me proud, in everything you did."

"_Well thanks, sis. Hearing that from you means a lot."_

Lightning smiled faintly, though it quickly faded. "What's going to happen now, Serah?" she asked quietly. "This place here…This place between life and death…What does it mean?"

"_For me, this is just a stop to where I'm going," _Serah said more somberly. "_I came here to rescue you."_

"Rescue me?"

"_From just lingering here forever. Or not being aware that you have a choice. Like I said before, you're not dead. But you could die if you want, and be reunited with me and everyone else if you wanted to. Or you could go back to reality and face whatever is waiting for you there."_

"And what about you?" she asked. "Can't you come with me?"

"_No, Lightning, I can't," _Serah said gently. "_I've already died. I need to move on. But it's okay, truly. I have no regrets. None at all." _

Lightning swallowed hard. "The idea of living without you…terrifies me," she confessed. "I've always looked out for you and not myself…"

"_It's time that you started to do just that, sis. I won't be mad if you choose to go back and live for yourself. In fact, I'll be mad if you don't do that. You've already started to live for yourself, with the guidance of another person guiding you in the right direction."_

Caius. She was referring to Caius.

Just as Lightning opened her mouth to speak, Serah's relaxed voice spoke up again. "_I'm really happy for you. He's a good guy. I've seen how he looks at you."_

"You mean…It's not insane for me to like him back? He tried to destroy the world, tried to kill the both of us…"

"_I think he's a different Caius now, don't you agree? He's still Caius, but his heart isn't driven by sorrow anymore. That makes all the difference."_

"Yeah, it does," Lightning had to agree. After a brief moment, she had to laugh shortly in amusement. "Never thought I'd have to ask for your blessing…Thought I'd end up alone the rest of my life."

"_I always knew somebody would come along and tame you," _Serah said jokingly, laughing as well. "_I approve. And you have my blessing. You always will."_

"Thanks."

"_You'll have all of our blessings." _

That was a new voice. Well, new in the sense that it hadn't been in this area before. Lightning spun around automatically, and to her surprise, she saw a small group of people standing several yards away. It was her mom, dad, and sister Rose. "_We're so proud of you sweetheart," _Dad said with a small smile. "_You've been so brave…"_

"_And selfless," _her mother added. "_But no more of that. It's time for you to live your life and do things for yourself. You deserve it. Not just because you saved us, but because you've been worth it all along. I hope this man can help you realize that."_

"_I'm happy to see you again, Claire!" _Rose said with a smile._ "I missed you for a long time, and Mom and Dad and Serah too. But now we can be happy again. Thanks sis." _

Over to Lightning's left, a deeper voice caught her attention. "_Do not forget," _he said. "_You have also set all of us free." _

Lightning's blue eyes darted over to a group of seven people that she didn't recognize. The lead male had deep brown hair and grey eyes with a look of sincerity within them. Around him, there were two sisters with long blonde hair with blue tints in it, a fiery redhead, and three other males with black, golden, and light brown hair respectively. The eyes of the first man were what clued Lightning into who they were. They were the humans who had previously been trapped in her reality as eidolons. The one who had spoken to her was formerly Odin.

"_Thank you," _he said with a small, tired smile. "_We are content to leave the world behind now that it has a bright future. We will rest peacefully thanks to you."_

"_What he said," _Corin said to her opposite side. Looking over, Lightning noticed him standing along with some of the other village men. "_Thanks for the proper burial, by the way. It was very kind of you. And I'm sorry for all that I did along the way. I really was on the wrong side."_

Lightning shook her head faintly. "Don't worry about it. Just...enjoy whatever good things fate has in store for you. All of you." She looked around at all the friends and family surrounding her, realizing then just how many people she had in her life who impacted her somehow and were impacted by her personally. For the first time in a while, she felt proud of something, and that something wasn't a militaristic achievement. She really was ready to move on with her life.

"_It's time to make a choice, Lightning," _Serah's voice said from nowhere again. "_Do you want to join all of us, or do you want to live?"_

She shut her eyes. Serah phrased the question so easily. Did she choose to be surrounded by these wonderful people again, or did she leave them? Did she choose to abandon the reality that she saved just because she feared going back and being dragged into another war? Even that did happen…At least she'd be living her life. She'd do more than exist as a warrior. She'd be a human being this time.

And hopefully, she wouldn't be alone this time around.

"I think…" she said quietly. "…That I need to go back, and live my life. No matter what uncertainty it causes."

"_I was hoping you'd say that," _Serah responded, again showing the smile through her tone. But even more than that, the smile was physically visible now that Serah herself suddenly appeared in the area.

Lightning spun to the side to face her, eyes wide when she saw Serah looking perfectly healthy and happy in her old outfit with the white top and red plaid skirt. _Serah, _Lightning thought, staring at her sister and her gentle smile. This was really happening after all. Serah was really here with her, telling her that she was at peace. Just seeing her face—and more importantly, her eyes—showed Lightning that this wasn't just something she was fabricating in her own head.

This was real.

"Take my hand, Lightning," Serah said with a gentle smile. She outstretched a hand towards her sister without removing her gaze from Lightning's eyes. Somehow, the warmth and kindness in Serah's eyes gave Lightning the strength to move her feet from the spot she felt frozen in. Slowly but surely, she made her way towards Serah. It was only the two of them in Lightning's reality. The reunion with Serah that she had been longing for so long was currently happening…And it was about to come to a close.

Lightning stopped directly in front of Serah, eying her hand. Did she dare take it now? Couldn't she linger just a little longer here with Serah? No, she knew that was a ridiculous request. Life wouldn't wait for her back where she was going, and Serah had to move on. She earned the right to her happy ending.

She reached out her hand and grasped Serah's. When her sister held onto hers back, it was much stronger than Lightning had expected it to be. Larger too.

Lightning glanced down at the hand automatically, blinking in surprise when she noticed a brown ring on the middle finger with two strings going further down their hand to their arm. The hand yanked at her and pulled her away roughly, but before she was yanked out of that reality, she glanced upward and saw the face of Noel Kreiss as he pulled her out of that reality and back to their own.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Wow! I can't believe all the reviews I got for the last chapter! I should have scolded you guys sooner. xP thanks for all the feedback and for putting up with all the cliffhangers. I should have mentioned that we were going into the final **section **of the story, not the final chapter. I still have a few more for you guys, including an epilogue and another bonus (you'll hear more about that later). **

**Ktscacheva—Wow, what compliments! Your review made me really really happy, so thanks!**

**Murasaki_no_chou—I know, it's Caius just a big sweetheart? :3 Glad you stumbled upon my story!**

**MaroonAngel of Darkness—Yup, that was a Toy Story reference! So glad somebody caught that. "Abandon the suspense"? NEVER! *Evil laughter***

**Hana-chan98—^^ Yes, a Toy Story reference! Great movies, right? (:**

**Ziel101- I suppose I can forgive you for your laziness because of your situation. :P Thanks for sticking with the story even if it's not your type of thing!**

**Darkiss0777 "OH Man another cliffhanger! Why do you always do this to us?" Because I am evil like Etro. ;) As for the sequeal—As of now, I'm not planning one. I leave it open for the possibility in the end, but I'm focusing on writing a novel right now and another fanfiction would only distract me. But hey, maybe someday!**

**Nirianne- I noticed you were gone; glad you stuck with the story! Thanks for poking up your head again. (:**

**Whoo, that was a ton of personal stuff! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and the less dramatic cliffhanger I left you with. (: See you guys again soon!**

**Peanut**


	22. Chapter 22: Healing

Chapter Twenty-Two: Healing

Noel's hand pulled Lightning out through the magical mirror in New Bodhum's NORA house, yanking her out of it so quickly that Lightning momentarily lost her balance. Fortunately for her, Noel's hands were there to catch her before she would have fallen on top of him. "Easy," he said, though his voice showed that he was surprised for some reason. As was Lightning. What just happened here? She had a grip on Serah's hand, but Serah suddenly transformed into Noel and now here she was. Wherever here was.

Lightning opened her eyes and looked around and past Noel, seeing exactly where they were standing. Between the two beds in Serah's old bedroom in the NORA headquarters of New Bodhum. This obviously wasn't the time period that NORA was here though; the air was similar to that of 500 AF. Somehow she could just tell that was where she was. It helped that Noel was present and unaged too.

"My head's spinning," she muttered. This was too much to take in at once.

"Sit down," Noel insisted quickly. He was gripping Lightning's upper arms now, so he guided her back onto one of the beds. She sat down on the end of it, and if she was looking straight ahead of her, she would have been facing the rest of the house. But she wasn't looking up. Instead, she sat forward and put her head in her hands. "I'm not surprised you're feeling disoriented," he said.

"This is New Bodhum. 500 AF?"

"That's right," he said. "This is about three months since you first left on your journey."

"The journey," she muttered in remembrance. "It's over, Noel. Etro is dead."

"I know," he nodded. "Valhalla's shadow in this world disappeared as I was making my way to New Bodhum. The fight in Academia is probably over too."

"There was a fight going on in Academia?" Lightning asked, lifting her head out of her hands and looking up at Noel. As she sat here in this room, her mind was starting to become more coherent again. Just for a few moments, the memories of what happened in that other realm drifted to the back of Lightning's mind as she took in what Noel had to say.

"Yeah. Do you remember what we said at the very start of this? That this was going to be a two-front war? Well, we were right. While you were fighting her in Valhalla, she sent a ton of monsters here to try and kill enough people to release chaos into this world. It was an all out war in Academia, and in any place where there was real civilization. The only reason we were able to win was because of those weapons that you and Caius were able to retrieve for us in the past. How long ago did you do that?"

"I don't know," she muttered, shaking her head. She lost track of all time on their journey. Thinking of the other person who travelled with her, Lightning suddenly became completely aware that she shouldn't have been the only one back in this reality. "Caius!" she said out of the blue, turning her head sharply to the left and then to the right.

There he was to her right. Lying down on the bed closer to the windows on his back. Unconscious.

"He's okay," Noel said. "…I think. Something's wrong."

Lightning squinted over at Caius, not that she was far away in the first place. The last time she saw him, he had that weird blue and black aura running over his body. Etro had hit them with that energy and forced him to turn back into a human. Was that why he was in bad shape, because of the forced reversal?

"What…What can we do?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows in dedication as she turned her gaze to Noel. There had to be **something. **

"I've tried curing him, but I'm not the best medic. Maybe more spells could help him?"

"I can do that." She rose to her feet, forgetting her own weariness as she walked over to Caius's bed. She knelt down next to it at first, arms on the side of the bed as she gazed at Caius. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly in his slumber, but he didn't look like he was in a lot of pain. His breathing was regular and calm. Was it an enchanted sleep?

"He was awake when I pulled him through the mirror," Noel filled in as if he were reading Lightning's mind. He laughed faintly, shaking his head. "He had enough time to ask about you before he collapsed on me."

Lightning shut her eyes, feeling both relieved and dismayed. She worried him, and in this condition (or any condition), that wasn't a good thing. Her eyes landed on his hand close to hers. She reached out and grabbed it wordlessly, glancing over at Noel again as if to say, _Yeah, we can stand each other now. More than that actually. _

"I know I'm leaving him in good hands," he said with a faint nod.

"You're leaving?"

"I hurried over here from Academia and left everyone else behind," he explained. "I only told them that I needed to get here as quick as I could."

"How did you know how to find us anyway?"

Noel's eyes turned sadder, but at the same time, he smiled faintly. "Serah. She told me to come here and save you."

Lightning shut her eyes, smiling softly in sadness. "Right," she said quietly. Of course Serah had a hand in rescuing her. And she probably helped Caius get saved too, whether she spoke to him in that other reality or she just told Noel to save him too. _Thanks sis._

"So I'm gonna go back to Academia and tell everyone that you're okay," he continued with a nod. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I'll be sure to bring them all with me; they'll be glad to see you guys."

"Yeah," she agreed.

As Noel turned to leave, Lightning parted her lips one more time. "Noel," she called. Upon seeing the brunet turn around, she said what she had to say. "Thank you."

He smiled softly and nodded silently in recognition. Then he took his leave and left Lightning alone with Caius.

Lightning looked back at Caius immediately, grasping his hand without feeling her own grasped in return. For maybe the first time, she was showing affection without him displaying some to encourage her to follow his lead. This was completely on her own. This never happened before, not once. It showed just how big an impact Caius made on her.

But despite being softer, she was still Lightning. And Lightning was a warrior who put physical needs above emotional. _I need to check his heartbeat, _she thought. That was what she needed to do. She released his hand and stood up, gently setting her fingertips beneath Caius's jaw to feel his heartbeat. Strong. Steady. Calm. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Still, if he passed out on Noel almost as soon as he got here, something must have still been wrong. Her relief disappeared instantaneously. It had to be his heart, despite the steady beating it was performing now. His heart was combined with Chaos Bahamut's, and the transformation back from monster to human wasn't done willingly, damage would have been done to the heart first.

There was only one thing she could do.

With delicacy that wouldn't be expected from a hardened soldier, she put one hand on each of Caius's sides and found out how to remove the upper half of his armor. If she was going to monitor his heartbeat, she wanted to hear it directly instead of keeping her fingers underneath his jaw for a very long time. And besides, if he needed CPR now, the armor wouldn't get in the way.

She carefully put the armor on the other bed. Turning back to Caius, she studied his bare torso for the first time. He was a warrior for so long that Lightning had expected his chest to be covered in scars. Yet there was only one scar present on him—a long one right over his left breast. Something told her that it had to do with Etro's Heart. Was that where he was pierced by Noel's weapon?

Lightning's own heart ached at how much pain that must have caused. Even if he was her enemy when he was stabbed, he wasn't now. Any pain Caius felt was literally becoming her pain. She cared so much that it frightened her, but it frightened her even more to think of not caring anymore. Living an empty life with no attachments to anyone wasn't an option for her anymore.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and lightly placed a hand over his heart. Still it continued to beat normally. Still she decided to cast ten Cure spells on him just to make sure that he was going to be alright. Still he did not awaken.

The only thing that did occur was Lightning losing a rapid amount of energy because of how much she put into those Cure spells. She gazed down at Caius with half opened eyes, feeling the steady thumping of his heart beneath her hand. The consistency of it made her drowsy. Drowsy enough that she decided to lay down in the space available next to Caius. She laid down on her side beside him and kept her hand on his chest. There was no room by his on the pillow, so she slid herself down a little bit so that her head was right next to his heart. Literally, right next to it. She lightly pressed the side of her head against the left side of his chest and listened. _Thud thud. Thud thud. Thud thud. _Normal. Perfectly normal. Perfectly wonderful.

Lightning closed her eyes as the warmth of Caius's bare torso washed over her and spread to her own heart. Never before had she felt so…at peace. Even in sleep he made her feel safe.

Within only a few minutes, Lightning allowed that peace to coax her into a slumber of her own.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Noel Kreiss wasn't technological like all of his other friends in this time period were; he had no idea how to work the cars and airships that Hope and Sazh had so desperately tried to teach him about. So how had he managed to get to New Bodhum in time to pull Lightning and Caius out of the enchanted mirror.

The insane red chocobo.

That was what he was riding back to Academia, unfortunately. The chocobo was crazy with how much it bobbed up and down while running, and how it kept demanding greens from Noel. He just hoped that he had enough to make it back, because he needed to share the news with them all. He could hardly believe it himself. The war was finally over and Lightning and Caius were safe.

While he could have kept his thoughts on those two for the whole ride back to his new home, his thoughts wandered to something that happened earlier that day during the fighting. Even if things were hectic, the memories were perfectly clear.

All Hell broke loose in Academia earlier that day. None of them were surprised that this was the era Etro chose to fight her war in; she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. According to Hope, Etro was going to be using a great amount of energy to battle Lightning and Caius, so she needed to fight in a time period where the timeline was already unstable. Of course Etro herself didn't fight; she just sent millions of monsters to do the fighting for her.

All over Gran Pulse and Bhunivelze, monsters of all kinds appeared and every single able-bodied person was forced into the fight of their lives. He, Hope, Snow, and Sazh stuck together in Academia to fight off what they could since there were a lot of women and children in the city. That and they didn't want to lose track of each other for a second. They were all that they had left.

But the fighting had gotten too extreme. Hope had to split off with Sazh while Noel lingered with Snow outside the headquarters. The hero was more than just talk; he did do a good job as both a defender and an attacker. Better than how Noel did in the end. A wolf-like beast ran in out of nowhere and swatted him back against the wall roughly. He had hit his head and collapsed, just in time to hear Snow call his name in alarm before he passed out.

What happened when he was passed out was what was truly extraordinary.

"_Noel," _a gentle voice called into the darkness that surrounded him.

He stood in the middle of nothing, looking around frantically for the voice that he recognized. "Serah?"

"_You got it on your first try this time,"_ she said in remembrance to his other dream, when he thought she was Etro. "_I'm impressed."_

She was calm, happy, but he was frantic just to get a glimpse of her. "Serah!"

"_Don't worry Noel, it's okay. I know you can't see me. I just need to talk to you, because time is short."_

"What are you doing here? How are you speaking to me?"

"_You're dreaming, Noel."_

His heart sank. "So this isn't real?"

"_No, it is," _she disagreed. "_Just not physically happening. I am speaking to you from the grave, sort of. Long story short, I'm about to move onto whatever waits for me in the afterlife. Etro had all the souls of the dead trapped in a cold and dark place, but when she's defeated, we'll be free to go. Even though you're fighting her monsters now, to me, Etro has just been defeated. But in your time, I know it hasn't happened yet. That's why I needed to talk to you."_

"Okay…What's up?"

"_Lightning and Caius. They're going to kill Etro and destroy Valhalla along with her—while they're still in it. They're going to be sent to this place as well, only they're going to have a choice as to whether they want to return to the real world or to whatever the afterlife has for them. If they want to come back to you guys, they're going to need some help."_

"What can I do?" he asked.

"_Go to New Bodhum as quickly as you can. That mirror that was in my room in 3 AF is still there. It will serve as a portal between your world and the one between life and death. Reach in and if somebody takes your hand, they've chosen to come back to your world. Pull them back to you."_

"It's that simple?"

"_It's that simple," _she assured him. "_You just need to get to New Bodhum, right away."_

"Okay," he nodded. "I will."

Just as the dream began to fade, another thought crossed his mind. "Serah! Wait!"

Thankfully, she did wait. "_What is it, Noel?" _she asked gingerly.

"Will I…ever hear from you again? See you again?"

For the first time, her voice showed sadness. "_I'm sorry," _she said gently. "_But this is probably the last time I'll be able to contact you. Don't worry though. Hopefully I can be everyone's guardian angel now."_

"Wasn't I supposed to be the Guardian?" he asked in weak humor.

She laughed faintly. "_Funny how life works out." _After a short pause, she spoke up again in a gentle but sincere voice. "_Don't worry about how things turned out with me Noel," _she said. "_I'm happy I was at least able to do good with my life. It's enough for me."_

Just like that, the dream began to fade once again. The word "goodbye" echoed in his ears as he returned to his reality. The first thing that he was aware of was the pounding of his head. Was that caused by him hitting the wall of the building or by his dream? Regardless, he knew he had to shake it off. Quickly. He didn't know how long he had been out. He grunted and lifted a hand to his head, looking out towards the city and seeing Snow Villiers standing in front of him between him and the one monster that remained in the area.

"Snow," he muttered, slowly pushing himself to his feet. The man didn't hear him. "Snow, I gotta go!" he said more loudly.

"Now's no time for a potty break!"

"No, I gotta go to New Bodhum!" he said seriously. "I can't explain why, there's no time. Hold them off."

"You got it." Thankfully, he didn't make any comments about being the hero as he charged forward and dueled that monster so that Noel could make his way past.

It took Noel longer than he would have liked to weave his way out of the city and get that crazy red chocobo, but he managed to do it. Apparently he had gotten to New Bodhum just in time, because he was able to pull out Caius and then Lightning from the mirror. Lightning was in a lot better shape than Caius, though she appeared to be shaken by something. Had she spoken to Serah too? That was the impression that he received. But even if that was the case, he wouldn't ask about it because it was surely something very personal to her. Serah was her sister after all, the only family she had left until recently. Noel knew what it was like to be the last family member alive, along with so many other ways of being alone.

But he wasn't alone now. Not anymore. And nobody would have to be alone at all because they saved the future from Etro. The world wouldn't end now; he just knew it. That was what the peace in his heart told him.

Despite the not so peaceful ride back on the chocobo, it went quickly because he was distracted by his thoughts. He jumped off the chocobo in the middle of the city before the chocobo would have thrown him off and ran away. It did run away in the end, but others ran towards him upon seeing him arrive again. Hope, Snow, Sazh, Dajh, and two others. The two he didn't recognize, but it didn't matter.

"Guys," he said to all of them. "They're both back. They're okay."

*…*…*…*…*…*

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Lightning slept without having any dreams at all. None. There were no screams tormenting her, no nightmares telling her that her family and friends were suffering because of her. Or that they were suffering at all, more importantly—Even in slumber, Lightning was sufficiently reassured that all the people she loved truly were free and happy.

That comfort nearly made her smile in her sleep. They were happy, and so was she, even if she chose to leave them to face this reality. She at least knew that she did it with their blessing. That was what was most important to her, along with the fact that she wasn't going to face life alone. She had a feeling that Caius was going to be along for the ride.

If he was alright.

Lightning drowsily turned her face against the side of Caius's chest. She was still able to hear his heartbeat, which was steady and strong like it had been when she first drifted into unconsciousness. How long had she been out anyway? Even if she gazed outside the window and tried to see the time of day, it wouldn't matter. She didn't know what time she fell asleep in the first place.

Time didn't matter so much now. They had all the time in the world. What really mattered was her and Caius. Mostly Caius at this point.

She lifted her head and looked up at Caius, surprised to see that his expression changed from when she saw him last. He didn't look like he was in pain at all.

And then his eyes opened.

Lightning's eyes locked onto Caius's immediately. His eyes weren't showing grogginess at all; he looked very aware. Had he been awake for a while? And if he was, why didn't he wake her? _Stupid question, _she thought to herself. _He's been trying to win my affection for a long time, and now I'm showing him that he's done it. He wouldn't want that to end. _

"Hello," he murmured to her.

"Hello," she responded just as quietly. "Welcome back."

"Welcome back? What, did I go somewhere since returning to this reality?"

"Away from me."

Caius smiled softly as he wrapped an arm around the girl who was lying beside him. "I suppose I did," he agreed. "But coming back to this was such sweet pleasure that I almost don't mind leaving."

"Well you're going to stick around for a while," she declared, turning more serious. "We need to make sure you're okay." Etro's final attack. It did something to him.

"I'm fine."

She gave him a look of disbelief.

"Truly," he assured her. "I can move freely now, in case you didn't notice." He arched a brow at her as he tightened the arm that he had moved around her. He had a point.

"Okay…" she tried again. "But there was a lot more to it than that. That weird aura surrounding you-"

"—Was because of the forced transformation from Chaos Bahamut to human form," he finished. "Whatever spell she used to force that occurrence has worn off. I feel like a new man."

"Maybe because in some ways, you are a new man," Lightning suggested.

"Hmph," he hummed with a small smirk. "Yes, I'm very different from who I used to be. As are you."

"What was your first clue?" she asked jokingly. It was pretty obvious how he could tell she was different than before; she was willingly showing affection and emotion. He really helped her change for the better.

Caius didn't bother responding. He only smiled softly down at her. She could have sworn that he was thinking about kissing her, and he probably would have if her head was closer to his. He _really _didn't want to disrupt this moment. And neither did she.

After a few more moments of holding eye contact with him, she lowered her head and shut her eyes. She was still tired since she and Caius had been running around for so long and not sleeping like they needed to. Just judging by his relaxed position, he did seem ready to fall asleep again. This time, instead of passing out immediately, she just laid next to him and listened to his breathing along with his heart rate. Once both were calm enough, she knew that her suspicions were correct: he really was tired, and currently asleep.

She only smiled faintly, staring up at the ceiling and lingering in consciousness. Finally, she could feel complete peace, because the healing of harms had begun.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Ah, romantic fluff. Isn't it awesome? ;3**

**Ballad Jr—Haha, thanks! I really hope I get published too. (: It would be incredible**

**Artemiangel—I do believe that Caius is the more romantic of the two. He really does have a big heart. 3**

**Darkis0777- "Cloud Smiles" is such a good song! So sweet (: I'm gonna have to listen to that now! Also, it was just a rumor about Versus being cancelled, so all is well in the world! I have a feeling that there will be a XIII-3, since somebody is supposed to make an announcement about the "Lightning saga" soon.**

**I believe that's it for the responses! (Sorry if I missed anyone, as always). I want to let you guys know that I'm accepting prompts for oneshots, by the way. (: So if you guys have ideas for stuff (even if it's not for xiii-2), let me know! **

**Until next time,**

**Peanut**


	23. Chapter 23: New Day

Chapter Twenty-Three: New Day

"Oy, I should have seen this one coming," a female in an accent said.

Another girl giggled. "Hush! We don't want to interrupt this."

"We?" The first woman scoffed. "I want to interrupt it. I want to see the look on her face when she's busted for cuddling with somebody in her sleep."

"It is very unlike her," the girl agreed, though she was smiling.

Before them was the infamous Lightning. Hero of Cocoon, Warrior of Valhalla whose trust was betrayed by a goddess. She was the warrior that everyone now owed their lives to, along with the man who was lying underneath her arm as she slept. Caius Ballad. The two women in the room had heard much about him as well, and how he too was deceived and turned to their side. That was good enough for these two.

"Well, nothing is going to stop you from giving her a rude awakening, is it?" the shorter girl asked.

"Nope. And I won't let you stall me any longer either."

The woman with wavy, dark brown hair stepped past the girl with two pigtails and stood right next to the sleeping Lightning. A characteristic smirk appeared on her lips, despite how her friend didn't want her waking up Lightning in this way. That wasn't about to stop her. "Hey, wake up sunshine!" she cried.

*…*…*…*…*…*

Feeling startled was one of Lightning's least favorite feelings to experience. Whether it was being caught off guard in a battle or in any other situation, she hated feeling surprised. The loud cry in her ear certainly encouraged the feeling that she hated so much. Lightning's blue eyes bolted open immediately, though her reaction was much more than that once she realized that she still had an arm over Caius. She was so embarrassed to be caught in an intimate moment that she rolled away from him.

She was already at the edge of the bed. With a surprised cry, Lightning toppled to the ground by the feet of the person who gave her a very unpleasant wake-up call. It was the same person who was now laughing as if Lightning's reaction was the most hilarious thing she had ever seen. The laughter of that person blended with another person's. The first person, she realized, she hadn't heard laugh before. But the latter—

Lightning's head sharply went upward to see the two girls standing by her. "'Bout time you woke up, Sleeping beauty," one mocked with a smirk.

It was the one with untamed brunette hair that spoke to her, the one whose blue sari was distinctive to who she was. Fang. And the other, dressed in that peach top with the fur pelt around her waist. Vanille. Lightning blinked, shaking her head as if disoriented. "I'm still dreaming," she guessed. There was no way this was real. No way at all.

"Nope," Vanille giggled. "You're wide awake. Sort of. You still look a little dazed to me."

"For good reason," Fang filled in with the same confident smirk. "Seein' the two of us return from the dead isn't something that happens every day, is it Vanille?"

"Nope. But it happened today! Or yesterday, since it's probably morning now."

"Eh, whatever."

The bantering seemed real enough to her. This was exactly how Fang and Vanille would act upon catching Lightning off guard. Maybe this was really happening. "How are you here, then?"

"You still don't believe if fully, do ya?" Vanille asked, still smiling. "Don't worry about it, we'll fill you in."

"Right," Fang agreed with a nod. "You can blame Etro for us not comin' back sooner. When we were frozen in Cocoon's pillar, holdin' the world up, she kept trying to get inside our heads. She said that she could free us so that we could live again."

"But we knew that Cocoon would fall if that happened," the redhead continued. "So we stayed strong and frozen in that crystal pillar as long as we had to support the world."

"Of course, once we were taken out of it, Etro kept us frozen. Didn't want us getting rewarded for holding out against her for five hundred years. Once she was defeated we were naturally freed from the crystal prisons and…Well, here we are," Fang finished. "That help convince you, Light?"

"Yeah. But…That's incredible. No offense to you guys, but I had pretty much given up hope that you'd ever be free again."

"Oh, we're incredibly offended," Fang said sarcastically.

"Don't worry, Light," Vanille encouraged. "We know you had your hands full with a lot of other stuff."

"Yeah, like being conned by a goddess," the brown haired female stated with a scoff. "That's probably why she didn't recruit me; I never would have been fooled by that."

"You're making me feel so much better for falling into a trap," Lightning said sarcastically.

"'Ey, if you're feelin' good enough to get sarcastic with me, then you're just fine," Fang smirked.

Vanille nodded her agreement. "Something else tells me that you're better than just fine, though." At that remark, her gaze shifted to the man who was just now starting to awaken. How he managed to sleep through all of that was a mystery to all of them.

But another mystery to Lightning was how she was going to respond to that remark. Finally, she rose to her feet and looked over at Caius herself. Sure enough, he was coming to. "Yeah," she said after a few moments. "Everything's…good."

The two girls from Gran Pulse smirked at each other. "We'll be outside," Fang said. "You probably still have a short amount of time before the others make it. We hitched a ride on a bird while Hope was still wrapped up in stuff in Academia."

"Everyone's okay, right?"

"Yup," Vanille confirmed. "Some people died, but all of our friends are alright. It was good to see that Snow was still bein' himself, the hero."

"Ha," Lightning laughed softly. But she was actually relieved too. With the loss of Serah, she hadn't been sure how much fight would be left within Snow Villiers. Apparently it had been enough to get him through the day. "That hero's too stubborn to die."

"That he is," Fang agreed with a smirk. "Well, we'll go keep a look out for the hero then. And we'll give you too some privacy." She sent a wink their way before she and Vanille headed out of the bedroom, presumably to stand outside. But not too close to the windows, hopefully; Lightning didn't want them eavesdropping and picking up any details that they shouldn't know. Not that she really had much to talk about with Caius anyway.

Lightning glanced down at Caius as he sat himself up. His expression was confused, and for good reason. "You've never met Fang and Vanille before, have you?"

"No," he confessed with the shake of his head. "I heard of them though, over five hundred years before your time when they first became l'cie with the task of destroying Cocoon. But I also know how they wound up in your time and triggered all the events of your day."

"Amazing what one or two people can accomplish, huh? Even one or two people have the power to change history…"

"You're speaking of us now, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"We did manage to change history, but we only accomplished it because we were together," Caius said. "One person alone cannot stand strong for long. I realize that now."

"You were always a lone wolf too, huh?" she surmised.

Gravely, he nodded. "I didn't want to trust anyone. Trust is still a hard thing to give out."

"Almost impossible, after seeing how easily corrupted people are," she agreed. "But there are a few people worth trusting in life."

"Lightning," he started. He turned and set his feet on the ground, rising as he gazed at the girl. "Do you trust me?"

What kind of a question was that? She and Caius talked about trust multiple times throughout their journey. But that was always in reference to battle. What he was really asking was this: Did she trust him as a person? Did she believe that he was a good person who would always look out for her and want what's best for her? She thought she made it clear how she felt through her actions, but in this case, words were needed. "Yes," she said quietly. "I do."

Caius's hands gravitated towards her face. He was still shirtless, so she could see the muscles contract in his arms well even if her eyes were locked onto his. "Do you trust that I will want to be your guardian from this day forward, to the very end of time?"

She laughed quietly, shaking her head. "I don't need a guardian, Caius. I can protect myself."

"Of course you can," he said, cupping her cheeks. "That is why I admire you so much. You're not easily defeated or harmed. Yet I will always look for ways to protect you, from physical harm and emotional attacks. Will you allow me to do this?"

Lightning pondered it. Only for a few moments. "I will, as long as you let me do the same for you."

"That's a fair deal. Alright, we will guard each other then."

"As long as we can put up with each other," she joked.

"No," he disagreed. Lightning started to frown, though his next comment made her smile softly. "Even when we cannot stand each other. Whatever it is that we have—this bond of ours—It is special and I want to protect it even if my emotions sway me."

She nodded her head faintly, so that she didn't make Caius's hands move from her cheeks. "Right," she agreed quietly. He wouldn't give up, and neither would she. They had something worth protecting and it wouldn't always involve a physical battle. It was going to be new to her, fighting battles of the heart instead of battles of the sword. But this was a step that she was willing to take.

Caius's lips turned up in a small smile. Up until this point, Lightning had been faintly aware that Caius's face was inching closer and closer to hers. "Shall we seal this deal?" he murmured lowly.

"We shall," she agreed. She moved her head a little closer to his, only two inches separating them now. Her eyes went down to his lips, staying half open as she watched him finish coming at her.

His lips connected with hers in a kiss completely different from the last one that they shared on the shores of Valhalla.

Lightning's eyes fell shut gently this time, without her eyebrows furrowed in worry or confusion. His lips moved gently with hers and showed no signs of desperation or pain. Only care and dedication. He meant his promise to her, and she meant his to him.

They were connected now. Joined together by the heart.

Both Lightning and Caius pulled away at the same time, though they didn't pull back far. Their faces lingered right in front of each others'. She dared to open her eyes, but she did it slowly. Her eyes drifted upward to find Caius's looking right back at her.

"It's done, then," he whispered.

"Yeah, it's done," she agreed in the same tone. The deal was sealed.

But Lightning had no complaints when Caius leaned in and gave her another kiss on the lips. This time, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around Caius. She interlinked her fingers behind his neck, underneath his hair. A few strands tickled her hands. Surprisingly soft. Just like his heart.

After a minute, some murmured shouts came from outside. Shouts that were alerting them that everyone else was arriving. Lightning looked up at Caius as they both took their hands back. Their eyes conveyed the same message: neither wanted to leave this moment.

Yet he was the realistic one in this case. He chuckled. "There will be plenty more moments like that in the future," he murmured. "I promise you that."

"I'm going to hold you to it," Lightning said with a blush.

Caius smiled softly and nodded. "Go." He motioned to the door with his head.

Lightning nodded as well before she turned and walked out the door. She felt like her feet weren't firmly planted on the ground; she was normally light on her feet, but this sensation was completely different. Her feet were on the ground and her head and heart were in the clouds. She was certain that as she walked outside the old NORA house, her cheeks were still red with the blush that came after Caius's kissing.

She'd blame it on the heat. That was what she would do.

Fortunately for her, her friends noticed that she was alive before taking in the blush. "Light!" Hope cried in relief. The young man was the first to close the distance between his group and Lightning, meeting her at the bottom of the stairs and embracing her in relief. She hmphed in satisfaction, lifting a hand to set on his back. It was really good to see him again, that was for sure. He didn't appear hurt either, which was also great.

"'Bout time you came back, Light," said Snow Villiers with a casual smirk. As Hope released Lightning from the hug, Snow put a hand on her shoulder and looked down at her. He was doing better than the last time Light saw him. Still suffering with losing Serah, but he had some fire back in his eyes along with some happiness. "You _would _make us wait three months before comin' back."

"Wanted you to experience some time away from me so that I could be missed," she said with a smirk of her own.

Snow smiled at the joke, patting her shoulder and stepping to the side as another friend approached.

"Well, you managed to save the world again, kid," Sazh said, smiling as he stopped before her. "What's on the agenda now? Gonna go out and tame every Behemoth that ever wandered the planes of Pulse?"

"_Gran _Pulse," Fang corrected from a few feet away.

"I think I'll let the Behemoths continue in peace for a while," Lightning answered. "And I'll take some of that peace for myself. I'm done fighting for a while." Fighting was all that she did, her whole life. It was time to sit back and enjoy peace. It was time to feel secure for the first time in her life.

"Oh well," Fang said. "That means there'll be more for me to tame. I haven't had a good fight in way too long, right Vanille?"

"Right," she agreed. "You were getting pretty agitated, being cooped up in one place for so long."

"Darn right I was."

"Don't go getting into trouble too quickly," Sazh advised with the wagging of his finger. "After all that we survived today, it'd be a shame to lose you two."

"Yes, Dad," Vanille giggled.

"Dad? That's a little creepy."

"You're the one acting all parental on us, funny man," Fang said.

"That's because you all are acting like crazy kids, lookin' for a thrill after only being alive again for one day. Crazy, crazy kids," he muttered. As soon as he realized just how parental he sounded, he couldn't help but chuckle. Vanille, always one to laugh when she got the chance, joined in. And so did Fang, Snow, Hope, and Noel.

But Lightning just smiled. She had missed these people more than she could have realized. Fang's reckless spirit, Vanille's smiles, Sazh's comical mannerisms, Snow's sensitivity, and Hope's…well, hope. Noel she didn't know well, but seeing him laugh and smile now, she admired that he could be so optimistic after all that he went through. That was Noel's defining trait: optimism.

Sometime in the chuckling, Caius came out of the NORA house. The top half of his armor was back on so that he was clothed as usual.

"There you are, Caius," Noel said when things quieted down. "You feeling alright?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I'm fine."

"Better not be lying," Snow said in good nature. "Lightning really can't stand people who lie."

"There are many things that Lightning cannot stand," Caius said, glancing down at the pink haired young woman beside him. "I learned that very quickly. And how to cope with it."

"Did she punch you?" he asked. "I got punched. A lot." He gave Lightning a look of mock pain.

"Well, I don't regret it too much," Lightning muttered with a small smirk. "Somebody had to knock sense into that thick skull of yours."

"Words hurt you know," Snow said. He lifted a hand to his heart, grimacing more deeply as if deeply offended by Lightning's words.

"But my punches hurt worse."

Snow let up the act, chuckling. "Very true. I know now not to get on your bad side."

"I guess you're smarter than you look."

"Hey!"

Everyone burst into laughter again. People always used to say that laughter was medicine for the soul. That it could take away pain of any hardship. It was more the principle that choosing to laugh even in a hard time meant that you had the strength to find happiness even in the worst. When you realized that you could be happy then, you could be happy anytime.

Now they were finally out of their time of hardship. Happiness and laughter were the medicines that would heal the wounds that they took during the past.

When things calmed down once again, it was Hope who was the most mature and got them down to business. "I want to hear all about what happened on your end," he said to Lightning and Caius.

"Better sit down," she advised. "It's a long story."

A circle was formed in the sand; it was nicer to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine rather than sit inside the NORA building, which wasn't in the best shape. Besides, it was wonderful to see signs of life again. The sun was just rising in the sky, shining over oceans that weren't dried up. No dragons flying around to destroy the world, no monsters breathing down their necks. And, most of all, a future without the goddess of destruction.

Lightning told most of the story. How she and Caius first began to encounter dragons as they went along their journey. She said how they met with NORA, but left out the details about their harsh grief when they realized that Serah was dead. Mostly she talked about the battles, not the personal stuff. Making enemies with Corin and being hunted by him.

Bringing up how they were taken to Valhalla after defeating the five dragons was when the story became difficult. That was when the emotions truly imbedded themselves in the journey. Emotions weren't pushed to the side; they were right there in their faces. How was she, the stoic Lightning who always had control of her emotions, supposed to tell them all the heartache that Etro's curse put her through?

She couldn't. She lied to them and said that Etro attempted to kill them both, but they managed to flee for a time. They were hunted still, but they found a way to avoid all the enemies, recover from the wounds that Etro inflicted, and create the weapons necessary to defeat her.

And that was that. Somehow she managed to keep the heartache out of the tale. Was it only to keep up the image that she was always in control? Always composed? Maybe partially. More than that, she didn't want her friends knowing the horrors of their journey. She didn't want sorrow felt for her sake when everyone should have been happy.

"I'm just confused about one thing," Snow said. "How'd you guys get back here after Valhalla suddenly exploded?"

_Right. That, _Lightning thought. She glanced over at Noel, the only other person she knew encountered Serah in their dreams. The fact that Noel saw her and Snow didn't could definitely create some trouble. But this was one thing that she couldn't lie about. "Caius and I were separated," she began lowly. "We were both sent to a world between life and death though. We were given a choice of whether we wanted to go to the afterlife or come back here? At least to me, the choice was presented by…Serah."

"What?" he grunted.

"She presented the choice to me as well," Caius inserted.

Lightning looked over at him, nodding slightly. She'd have to ask about that later. For now her attention turned back to the former fiancé of her sister. "She and every other lost soul had been trapped in a dark and cold place by Etro. They couldn't go on to their heaven, but once Etro was dead, they were free. Serah reached out to us before she moved on."

"She didn't have the choice to come back?" Hope asked.

"No. She was already gone. But…She was happy with how everything turned out. That was what she told me."

"And me too," Noel added.

"You too?" Snow asked, utterly confused and probably feeling brokenness setting in again. Serah took the time to contact Noel but not him, her fiancé. That had to hurt.

"When I was knocked out in battle, she came to me in a dream," Serah's friend explained. "I'm sure the only reason she spoke to me and not you is because I was out. She could probably only speak to us through dreams."

"…Right." The hero didn't appear too certain of that.

"The important thing is that everyone is alright," Hope inserted to cease the awkward tension. "Serah's free to move on to happiness and so is everyone else here. Now we can focus on creating a happy future instead of just saving it from being doomed."

"It's not gonna be an easy path," Sazh warned all of them.

"When's anything ever easy?" Fang laughed. "I'm over a thousand years old and I still got nothing right! Don't think I'll be able to settle everything in this life either. But I have a feeling that this time, my end is gonna be when I die, not when I'm frozen into crystal."

"I like that idea much better than being frozen for another five hundred years straight," Vanille said with a small smile. "We won't just exist anymore. We'll actually get to live and enjoy our lives."

Noel smiled, staring up at the sky. "The long night is over," he said. "The light of a new day is shining over everything."

"Finally, we have the promise of a new day," Vanille continued for him.

Lightning stared off into the distance, listening to all that her friends had to say. The future wouldn't always be happy. People would still hurt each other and lust for power. Yet they could choose for themselves what kind of lives they wanted to live now. She knew that she wasn't going to be a soldier fighting in every war anymore. She had the possibility to be anything that she wanted. Lightning. Light. Claire. Or maybe a combination of the three. Have Lightning's strength, Light's compassion, and Claire's ability to face challenges head on without running away. She wouldn't be doing this alone though. Caius's gaze on her was enough to tell her that she wouldn't be abandoned any time soon.

Her lips turned up in a slight smile as she gazed at the bright blue sky.

"We'll create a new future. And it'll be a good one."

*…*…*…*…*…*

**Where are my peeps?! Didn't get a huge amount of reviews for the last chapter. Don't make me scold you guys again. xP But anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story! That was the final chapter, except for the epilogues. Yes there are two of them. The first one is self-explanitory; the other you'll find out more about at the end of that one. **

**A general response to prompt requests: I would have a hard time with any Caius/Lightning that isn't based in this reality where they're together, and I don't want to add anything canon just in case I write a sequel someday. Maybe someday I'll post something underneath its own title, who knows?**

**Also, I posted a 3-shot about the Farron sisters a few days ago, so go check it out!**

**Ballad Jr: I'd have a hard time with Yuffentine right now because I haven't played VII in so long. :/ But if you want, I have another story written that's a Cloti but has Yuffentine thrown in the mix. (: It's older but not a bad piece of work. I forget what it's called at the moment, unfortunately.**

**Riku91/Darkis0777/i: Yup, you three sensed Vanille and Fang xD I should have known people would be looking for subtle hints like that! Way to be awesome guys! (i, now you know why I was ignoring all your questions about Fang and Vanille, haha)**

**MaroonAngel of Darkness: Can Caius still turn into Chaos Bahamut? Hmmm…I didn't even consider it, to be honest! If I ever do a sequel, maybe it'll be answered there. (;**

**That's it for the responses guys. I do have a request though: everyone who read, please review! I wanna get the story to at least 300 reviews by the time it's all done. That would just be INSANELY AWESOME to me. **

**Thanks for everything guys!**

**Peanut**


	24. Epilogue

Epilogue

_Four months later_

The radiance of this new land was never lost on Lightning. Each day that she woke up in her home in New Bodhum, she looked to the window to see that the sun was still shining and filling the room with its warmth and light. That Valhalla's shadow wasn't lingering in the distance anymore and threatening to swallow the world in hopelessness again.

There were no signs of chaos coming into their lives again. Finally, she accepted that the peace was going to stay. This new life of hers was going to be a permanent one.

That was perfectly alright with her. She and Caiu- they worked hard to restore the NORA house so that it was actually very comfortable for the two of them to live in. They put no effort into building other houses around them so that New Bodhum could actually be a village again like it had been over 400 years ago. With the technology upgrading daily, most people wanted to live in cities anyway. Lightning certainly didn't mind some seclusion from all the people and hecticness of the lives that they led.

In this small little beach house along the shore, Lightning and Caius kept to themselves, save for the days that all of her friends visited from wherever else they lived.

Hope, Sazh, and Dajh continued to live in Academia. The latter two were doing well in their own little family, though the family may have been increasing in size soon. Sazh had met a lovely woman in the city and was pursuing a romantic relationship with her. From what she heard, Dajh already loved the woman as if she could someday be his mother. As for Hope, he was still single despite all the girls in the city pining over him. Recently he had been more focused on—can you believe it—his presidential campaign. Several of his coworkers put him up to it. He was sure to win the election coming up in the next year.

As for Fang and Vanille, they decided to take a small vacation to visit Oerba soon after everyone went their separate ways. At first they had hoped to restore the village to its former glory, but then they decided against it. They said that pursing the future was more important than preserving the past. So they found a village that was already up and running and took up residence there, along with Noel Kreiss. He was more comfortable with that humble living style than the ways of city folk. And, apparently, he had a small crush on Vanille. Fang had shared this with Lightning in secret, but she noticed it last time they were all together. The two were becoming smitten for each other. It was good for them.

Snow was the only person who really didn't seem to be doing well. The fact that Serah had contacted Lightning, Caius, and Noel and didn't give them any message to pass onto Snow really hurt him. So he was fighting away his frustrations in the most literal sense of the word. He travelled the world and fought monsters to distract himself from his sorrow. Being the hero was all that he knew how to do now. But someday, Lightning knew he would find his way home again. He just needed some time to grow tired of running. When he collapsed, she would be there to support him. She would always be there for him.

Other than Snow's situation, the world was nearly perfect. Everyone was enjoying their lives, but perhaps most importantly, Lightning was finally enjoying hers. She was actually living, not just surviving.

She sat on the beach as she reflected on all of this. Everyone was happy and so was she. She was isolated from all people but one. Not once did she wish away Caius Ballad either. Never did they argue like they used to, egging each other on to make the other snap. They weren't looking for fights anymore, only genuineness. They were two souls who were still wrapped up in their identities—and proud of it—but they were being more true to themselves than they ever allowed in the past. Lightning shared her emotions and Caius was open to reason and asking questions.

_It's all going great, _she thought as she stared up at the night stars, just as she did at least once a week. Something about them was comforting but also dismaying. Caius noticed this, but he didn't ask. Not until that night.

Footsteps approached her from behind. She didn't bother turning around, or even glancing over at the man as he sat down close beside her in the sand. He followed her gaze directly to the stars.

"Star gazing again, my love?" Caius asked in a soft murmur that made her heart skip a beat.

"I am," she confirmed quietly. "I get lost in them a lot, huh?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed him nod gently. His next question came in the same form. "Are you ready to explain why that is?"

"It's…complicated," Lightning said. She lowered her gaze to the ocean in front of them as she tried to think about how to say it. "For one thing, the stars are beautiful. They're so big and there are so many at a distance. It just…makes me feel small. It makes this life feel a little pointless."

Caius's hum told her that he understood. With that encouragement, she continued. "But what's the point of stars anyway? All that they do is float out there in space for God knows how long and then they die out. Is there any point to anything at all?" Stupid questions to be asking now, she realized. After all the fighting that they did to save everything, she was now considering that everything was pointless. Yet it was clear why she was dwelling on this now: now that the fighting was over, she actually had time to think.

"We are truly small compared to the galaxies out there," Caius agreed quietly. "The drama of life here fades when compared to how big everything is. But there is a point to all this. To life and love, happiness and sorrow."

"What's the point?"

Caius looked over at her then, his eyes soft but piercing her with sincerity. "We do not simply exist as the stars do," he said. "We are able to make choices. We are able to feel and enjoy our lives, however small and short they may be in the great scheme of things. The point of the stars is to remind us of that."

Lightning nodded ever so slightly, yet her eyes remained on the stars. Was that their true purpose? To remind them that they were special creations? Her heart began to feel warm as her shoulders slumped. It all fit. Her heart accepted it as truth. They were special, and they couldn't just let that slide. They had to live their lives for things that mattered and not let life just pass them by.

"But you know," Caius continued. "Not all stars just sit there. Shooting stars are the most extravagant stars of all. Streaking across the sky and leaving all who see it in amazement."

"One problem," she said quietly. "That's how the stars die."

"Everything dies, sooner or later. At least shooting stars go out with extravagance."

"Very true," Lightning agreed, smiling ever so slightly.

"Do you know what else is true?"

"What's that?"

"You shine more brightly than any of the stars in the sky."

The smile tugged at her lips again. The only reason that she continued to star upward was because Caius, once again, made her feel shy. Shyness was a normal feeling now for this ex soldier. Having him compliment her and being able to accept those compliments…It was a big step for her. She was beginning to view herself the same way that he viewed her: as a human being, not as a soldier.

Lightning finally looked over at Caius. As her eyes locked onto his, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that his hair was shorter. It had been that way for nearly three months now yet it still was hard for Lightning to get used to. He had cut it so that it was laying the same as before, but now it was shoulder length. When she had asked him about it, he said it was to signify that he was a new person and that the past was behind him.

The new man came with the new day.

"You know what else?" Lightning said after a few moments. "I think you shine brighter than I do."

"Lightning—"

She lifted a hand to interrupt, silently saying she wasn't done yet. "You were like my north star for so long," she said quietly. "You still are. You're guiding me to a place where I finally feel at home."

"And where is this place?"

Lightning smiled softly, lifting a hand and poking Caius's chest lightly. "Your heart."

For once, Caius was the one at loss for words. She was working harder to show her feelings through heartfelt sentiments like this, but it wasn't always easy for somebody like her. Like she told him though, he made her feel at home. Comfortable. Happy.

"You're my home now, Caius," she declared. She moved her hand to lightly rest against his cheek.

Caius smiled softly, setting his hand atop Lightning's. "And you're mine."

The two of them both leaned forward and connected their lips in a kiss. Under the night sky and the shining stars, the two of them stayed sitting together even as the ocean waves continued rolling in and time continued moving forward. Though time would never be halted, they now knew that losing time wasn't what mattered. What mattered was how they used the time that they had. The world could move on without them, yet they could be perfectly content.

The only thing that bound the two of them now was love.

*…*…*…*…*…*

**FLUFFFFF. Gotta love it. ;3 I know it wasn't a long epilogue, but I hope you enjoyed it. You've still got one more short tidbit coming up, then this is gonna be complete. **

**The second epilogue is going to center around Snow. Though I'm not sure where I stand with his character these days, I do believe that I can't just leave him hanging like he is now with his despair. So, the next segment will be about him. **

**Knightofflight—thanks! I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by my language getting clunky, but I do know that I'm not a perfect writer. Maybe this year I'll get around to reading Lord of the Rings like I've wanted to do most of the summer. (:**

**OhJay—You DID have a lot to say xD Sorry you didn't agree with how I worked some things out, especially with Serah. It was bittersweet for me to keep her killed, but I felt it was necessary. If everyone came out alive and happy, it just wouldn't be realistic. Thanks for reading even if this wasn't your type of thing, I appreciate the comment!**

**i-Yup, I'm excited for the book! It's coming along slower than I ever expected, but at least I'm working on it. (: I'm glad Versus wasn't cancelled, even if I don't have a ps3 so I won't be able to play it whenever it comes out. Hope there's a XIII-3 on the horizon! I haven't heard those interviews yet, so feel free to share with me.**

**Ballad Jr: You wanted the Yuffentine story, right? The one is called Fight for Love. It IS mostly Cloti from what I remember though, so be forewarned!**

**Darkis0777: Yeah, I was annoyed with Snow in XIII-2. I was annoyed with others being OOC character too, but that's a rant for another day. **

**NekoCapsule: xD Thanks for not kissing me; that'd be a bit odd. Sorry for making you annoy your mom xD And sorry for thinking it's hilarious and awesome, because it really is super sweet somebody's so excited about my stuff! Anywho, I'm probably the only person in my generation not into Pokemon, so you picked the wrong person to request that from. xP**

**Keep up the reviewing guys, we're almost to 300! :o I'll see you all again in about a week for the second (and final) epilogue. **

**Have a great week,**

**Peanut**


	25. The Hero

The Hero

Snow walked down this road a hundred times. Not in a literal sense, but in a metaphoric one. The physical road that his feet tread over was nothing special—a dirt road across an area that was vastly empty. A small town lay ahead, but he still had a ways to walk before he reached it. Plenty of time to get lost within his thoughts of this road he walked on through life.

It was a road of many things. Sorrow, over losing the woman that he wanted to marry. Dismay, at not receiving any word from this woman when she had a chance to contact him. Loneliness, at knowing how all of his other comrades and friends were in the process of pursuing their happy endings and his was taken from him. All of his hard work meant nothing. It all still ended in sorrow.

Perhaps Snow Villier's story was the most tragic of all. Orphaned by his parents when he was just a child, not worthy of their love. He had to stay optimistic to get through his many foster homes and the parents that often got frustrated with him because he wasn't open to reason a lot of the time. Eventually he founded a group that agreed with him—NORA. No obligations, rules, or authority. He made quick friends with Lebreau, Maqui, Yuj, and Gadot, who didn't care what background he came from. He was a good leader to them. First they fought off pretend monsters, then they went for the real ones. Then the government itself. But they were long gone now and Snow was left in a future without them to support him through this.

He knew that Hope, Sazh, Fang, Vanille, and even Lightning were there to support him through this. Yet he felt alone. Hope understood loss, but not this romantic loss. Sazh did since he lost his wife, but he was moving on with his life; Snow wasn't going to bring up those painful memories for his friend. Fang wouldn't have the patience for his self pity and Vanille would tell him to put a smile on and work through it. His famous optimism was gone; he couldn't even do that. Lightning was unpredictable in how she'd support him.

But he was still unwilling to go to her. He was walking the opposite direction. Lost, both in destination and in heart.

"There's gotta be somebody here to help," he muttered into the hot air. That was what he had been doing the past five months since it all ended. Going anywhere his feet could take him (because he didn't even have his eidolons anymore to give him transportation) to help people who were in danger. He looked a bit haggard, but at least he kept his beard down to a small stubble so he didn't look too hopeless. "The hero is arriving."

Yet he didn't believe he was the hero anymore. He couldn't save Serah. He couldn't even save himself now from this despair. Granted, he didn't give into death yet. The ever present battles gave him plenty of opportunities to lose his life. He was still here though. Why? What purpose did he have without Serah?

Snow walked into the small village, which had maybe twenty buildings all together. Only about ten of them appeared to be occupied by families. A dying village. Snow approached a woman who was raising water out of a well.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he said to her. "Does your village have a monster problem?"

She turned around and looked at him, unaccustomed to seeing new people. "No, no monsters here," she said. Her voice was a bit bewildered, and curious about why Snow was there. But not hostile. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I'm a monster slayer," Snow responded. "I travel to make sure that people don't have issues with the critters."

"Oh. Well, like I said, we don't have any real problems here. We get along okay."

"Alright. Guess I'll move on to the next village then."

"Hold on. It's too hot for you to travel any further today," she said. "Stay for the night and rest up. You look exhausted from the heat."

_Guess that's reasonable. _"Where do I go?"

The woman smiled faintly, that smile showing embarrassment. "We don't have a hotel," she explained, "because nobody ever comes through here. But somebody else arrived in town yesterday and they're staying in the last house to the left. Perhaps the home-owner would open their house to you as well."

"Got it," he said with a nod. "Thanks."

The young man trudged forward again, ignoring the heat. With the travelling he did, he was glad to have the coat that often kept him warm. But it clearly wasn't good for this environment. He stood just outside the hut, studying it. It wasn't in horrible shape, but it wasn't too great either. Still, he doubted there was anything he could do for these people. He couldn't do anything for anyone.

Before he could even enter the home, a female in a blue sahri came rushing out. "Well, it's about time you turned up!"

Snow grunted, automatically taking a step back when the wild female with dark brown hair stopped directly in front of him. "Fang?"

Fang nodded firmly as she glared at the taller man. "You know how long it took for me to find you?" she asked, tone full of anger and rebuke. "I searched for a month at least!"

"I'm surprised you found me _that _quickly," he said awkwardly. "It's a big world."

"Heck yes it is. Where have you been?"

He shrugged. "Nowhere. Everywhere. I dunno."

Fang studied him, placing a hand on her hip as she gazed at him. Apparently she had been spending time with Lightning, because the soldier used to have that same habit. Hand on the hip, eyes firm and pose unyielding…Yeah, they were connected. "Oh, I see," she said after a few moments. "You're still in one of those self-pitying moods." She scoffed, and Snow immediately knew that he had been right not to bring his troubles to Fang. She was going to scold him.

Or was she?

Her expression softened. "You gotta snap out of it, Hero," she said quietly. "This isn't you."

Snow blinked in surprise. "I know it's not. I don't like being what I am."

"So what do you plan on doing to change that?"

"Just keep moving. Keep fighting monsters until something clicks in this hard head of mine."

"It ain't gonna change itself, Snow. You gotta choose to change."

"That's easier said than done."

"Yeah," Fang agreed with a nod. "It is. Nothin's easy. Are you gonna let that stop you now?"

Snow felt angry. What right did Fang have to ask these questions of him? She was implying that he had already given up! "Does it look like I'm letting it stop me?" he asked lowly. "I'm doing all I know how to do!"

"Don't get sharp with me, muscle man," she said after a few seconds. "Can't believe your head is still so hard. What you're doing isn't working, so you need to try something new."

"Such as?"

"Come home."

His gaze dropped to the ground. Come home? Where was home, anyway? His home was with Serah, wherever she was. Or was it? "I don't have a home."

"Yes you do." Fang reached out and grabbed his hand. "Come with me," she ordered, walking him past the building that he had been about to enter. He glanced down at the hand, too surprised to react. He hadn't held anyone's hand since Serah, and she was the only one whose hand he grasped in return. Her grip was similar to this. Firm when it needed to be, gentle otherwise. Tight when afraid. Fang's grasp was a combination of the three. She really was scared of where he was going.

As they rounded the back of the hut, Snow was surprised to see two red chocobos. The fact that they were standing _calmly _also made him do a double-take. _What's going on here? _

"I want you to come back with me," Fang said. She released his hand and looked at the two animals.

"On these things?"

"I can tame anything, remember?" she said more lightly, smirking. "Two red chocobos aren't anything to me."

She swiftly got up on her red chocobo and motioned for Snow to do the same. Her expression told him that he didn't have any choice in the matter. She was going to kick him into gear if he didn't go ahead with her quickly.

So, Snow Villiers got up on his chocobo. He started riding when Fang did, away from the village and to the east. What laid in that direction was a mystery to him. "Where are we going?"

"Told ya. Home."

"Stop being so cryptic. I want to know what's going on, right now."

Silence was his response.

"Come on, Fang."

"Trust me, hero."

His heart dropped at the name. He wasn't worthy of being called a hero anymore. He may have saved Fang and Vanille from the flan that was trying to destroy their crystal tower, but he couldn't save the young woman that he loved. He had been too busy saving the world to give her a second glance. Maybe he didn't love her. Maybe he loved being the hero more.

A bitter silence settled between them. It wasn't because of Fang. Oddly enough, Fang wasn't beating Snow upside the head and ordering him to give up on the self-pity. She was being…patient. "Something happen while I was gone?" Snow asked after a little while.

"Loads has happened. Light and Caius are a happy couple, and Noel and Vanille are on their way to becoming the same. Sazh and his new gal are happy, and Hope is happy with his one love—work."

"And you?"

Hesitation was so unlike Fang. The woman was normally beaming with confidence and boldness. Yet she didn't answer Snow's question immediately. About thirty seconds passed before she spoke. "I've been doin' some wandering. Thinking, too."

"About?"

"About what's worth protecting."

Snow glanced over at her. It was then he realized that she wasn't even looking at him. Her gaze was straight ahead, softer than before. Soft? What was going on with Fang that actually made her appear vulnerable? "And what's your conclusion on that?" he asked more gently.

"That Vanille isn't the only thing worth protecting. And that my time guarding her is up. Now she's got Noel." Fang spoke it matter-of-factly, without bitterness. She made it clear that she liked Noel and how he treated Vanille.

"Noel's a good guy," he assured her.

"Oh, I know. I'm happy with the way things turned out." Fang finally looked over at him. "Except for how you turned out."

He blinked at the concern in Fang's eyes. There it was again! That same thing that he noticed earlier, when she softly told him to snap out of this state. "I'll be fine," he said quietly in defense. "I'll bounce back."

Fang pulled back on the reigns of her chocobo and suddenly got off. Of course Snow stopped and got off his chocobo as well, though he was really curious. Was Fang going to slap him? Yell at him for acting like he was unbroken even now?

No. Fang closed the distance between the two of them, but she didn't hit him. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders. The wild woman buried her face in his shoulder as she gripped the back of his jacket.

"I'm so sorry."

"W-what?" Snow grunted in confusion.

Fang swallowed, choked up. "I'm so sorry you had to choose between being hero of the world and the hero of Serah. I'm sorry that it was because of Vanille and I that Serah didn't have you by her side."

"This is what it's all about? You feel guilty, so you feel the need to set things right with me to appease that?"

"No!" Fang said sharply. She pulled her head out of his shoulder and stared up at him in a glare that wasn't necessarily angry, just stern. "I'm doing this because I care about you. You're my family! And family never abandons each other." She lifted a hand, timidly touching Snow's jaw with her fingertips. "I'm just sorry I didn't remember that until now. If I recalled it back then, I never would have let you leave."

"Fang-"

"Snow Villiers, you listen to what I have to say," she said, holding eye-contact. "You're not alone. You made an impossible decision, but it was the one that Serah would have wanted you to make. Serah did the same when she contacted Lightning, Caius, and Noel and didn't mention you. She had to choose between saving Lightning and Caius and saying hello to you. Time was too short."

"How do you know?"

"Because this is Serah we're talking about here! If she could let you know that things are alright, she would have. But she was stuck between a rock and a hard place, like you are now."

"Like I am now?" he repeated.

"You really are thick-headed," Fang scoffed. She slowly lowered her hand, though her eyes were still connected to his. "Right now, you've gotta make an impossible choice. Do you move on with your life without Serah and feel like you betray her for being happy again? Or do you dwell in the past to show how sorrowful you are of losing her, thus emphasizing how much she meant to you?"

"I-"

"Neither choice is easy. But one of them is right, whether you admit it or not." When Snow didn't object, she continued. "Serah wouldn't have wanted this for you, Snow. She'd know that moving on to future happiness doesn't mean disregarding the past you had with her."

Snow stared at Fang, again blinking in surprise. Moving on wasn't disregarding her. He didn't have to live in sorrow. Yes, he was extremely depressed that he lost the love of his life. But…he was also thrilled that the rest of his friends were alive and able to be happy. Life wasn't all bad. Perhaps she was right after all.

The silence lingered. After maybe a minute of staring, Fang got back onto her red chocobo. Snow did the same. Nothing was said the rest of the way. _Serah had to make a choice. Between saving Lightning and Caius and assuring me that she was okay. That's what this all was. _She had made the right choice…like he had with protecting the pillar of Cocoon. It was a hard choice, but the right one. Without a doubt, it was the right one.

_Just one request, Serah, _he thought. _Let me know that you're okay somehow. If you can. If not…Well, then you can't. Show me somehow that I'll be okay too. _Somehow, he believed that Serah already answered the request. Not through her own voice, but through another. He glanced over at the young woman on the other chocobo. Fang came looking for him. She talked to him and spoke the words that he needed to hear. Did Serah somehow put Fang up to this? Or was Fang just different than before? Maybe it was both. He could cope with that.

After about half a day of travelling, Snow saw the small house up ahead along the beach. Lightning's new home. He squinted at the different colored pillars that he saw, only to realize that those weren't pillars at all. It was everyone. Lightning, Caius, Noel, Vanille, Hope, and Sazh. His family was there.

Snow and Fang both stopped their chocobos about five feet away from the group before dismounting. Fang received a nod in greeting, and in thanks for retrieving Snow. But Snow received the most greeting.

"Good to see you, kid," Sazh said.

"Looks like you've gone and gotten yourself into trouble again," Hope commented with a slight smile.

"Should have known you'd be too thick-headed to come back on your own," Noel chuckled.

"You always were the reckless one," Caius grunted, though in good nature.

Vanille laughed. "That's Snow for you."

It was Lightning who first stepped forward when the comments were done. She stopped in front of Snow and looked up at him. Serious as always, but warmer than she was in a past lifetime before their adventures together. "You find what you were looking for, hero?" she asked quietly.

Snow shook his head softly. "No, because I was looking in the wrong places," he realized. "What I was looking for was right here all along, waiting for me."

He looked at Lightning and then to the rest of the group, smiling faintly. Fang went over to join them, so he looked at her a few seconds longer than the rest. He had been looking for hope, and now he found it. Now, he realized that he should have never left. This was where hope was. And from now on, maybe not physically, but spiritually, he would be wherever his family was.

Wherever they were was home.

_I'm home. _

*…*…*…*…*…*

…**Sob. That's the end! No more epilogues connected to this story; it's truly done. What a sad day! D:**

**OhJay: Glad I could inspire your idea! (:**

**Riku91: I know what you mean; it's hard not to imagine her as a soldier. Who knows, if I write a sequel, that may change. ;3**

**Yunadance6: All good things must come to an end, I suppose ): **

**Neno-neko-chan: No wedding planned right now, but maybe someday!**

**MaroonAngel of Darkness: Maybe someday I can write a sidestory about that, but I dunno. I find stories about the heroes' children to be a bit cliché and overdone xD**

**Guys, thank you so much for an amazing ride. I never, EVER expected I'd get the enthusiastic response that I did. Feel free to PM me whenever you want ('cause you guys are awesome). Keep an eye out for some of my new stuff too.I was randomly inspired to do a Light/Caius/Kain story the other day. It might turn into something I post, it might not. We'll have to wait and see. (:**

**A sequel is still a possibility, but I don't imagine it coming in the near future if it comes at all. We'll just have to wait and see what happens, eh? :)**

**Thanks again guys. It's been incredible.**

**Peanut**


End file.
